Alpecin-Deceuninck on Van der Poel's two (!) flat tires and damage to Philipsen after crash

Who else but Jasper Philipsen could be the top favorite to win the third stage of the Tour de France, considered the first chance for sprinters? However, due to a significant dose of chaos, bad luck and crashes (they are practically synonymous), he couldn't participate in the sprint debates and ultimately crossed the finish line in 118th place in the stage won by Biniam Girmay. Fortunately, there seemed to be no serious damage for the Belgian rider.

In Turin, not far from the stadium of football club Torino FC, it was Girmay who, against most expectations, claimed victory. For top favorite Philipsen and his team Alpecin-Deceuninck, it was a day to quickly forget: 6 kilometers from the finish, lead-out Mathieu van der Poel suffered a flat tire, which meant the world champion had to catch up again. Even the versatile Belgian couldn’t close a 45-second gap. Then a major crash occurred, causing further confusion. Philipsen went down and couldn’t compete in the sprint.

Van der Poel punctured both front and rear, Philipsen crashed

"Mathieu hasn't had a single flat tire all year, and now he gets flats both front and rear," team manager Christoph Roodhooft told the press after the race. "Ultimately, we should be happy that none of our riders have any serious physical issues. We can all move forward and look ahead. We need to focus on new opportunities because, as far as I know, Jasper is fine after the fall. I must admit I haven’t gotten all the details yet."

Roodhooft, an experienced hand in the field, clearly remains an optimist and isn’t dwelling on the past. "Let’s just say we’ve had our share of bad luck already. We’ll see what happens next. I don’t have many other options than to stay calm. We have to. On to the next one. Everyone is healthy, so we can continue."

There was some concern about possible physical issues, especially for Philipsen who crashed. "Considering the circumstances, the damage isn’t too bad. I did hit the ground at 60 kilometers per hour, but it was a good road. A few guys got tangled, and I had no room," said the Belgian. "It’s frustrating because I miss the sprint and the points for the green jersey. It’s not a good day, but fortunately, there are more chances to come. I’m just glad I can still ride. I wanted to compete and it makes me a bit angry, but it’s part of the sport. It was long and boring, so it feels like a wasted day."

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For Roodhooft and Alpecin-Deceuninck, the third Tour stage was riddled with bad luck

Van der Poel had strong opening weekend despite lack of results

"We shouldn’t dramatize it," Roodhooft responded when asked if there was any panic regarding the third stage. "They just got tangled and fell. It’s that simple. It happens sometimes. We all know that." Van der Poel, who finished 161st today, seemed to be in some discomfort at the finish but didn't crash according to Roodhooft. "He had flats both front and rear but didn’t fall. He obviously tried to get back up there, but it's not easy at speeds around 80 kilometers per hour. Three kilometers from the finish, he was still half a minute behind, so it seemed like it was over. And then the crash happened, so it was done."

Van der Poel wasn’t able to showcase himself at the front during the tough opening weekend but came out of the first two stages well, Roodhooft explained. "He felt quite good. It was very hot. On the first day, he struggled a bit with that, but by Sunday it was better and generally okay. We already had stage three in mind a bit. Overall, it was a good start to the weekend."

Finally, what about the battle for green? Girmay, also a strong climbing sprinter, took maximum points, and riders like Mads Pedersen and Fernando Gaviria also earned points for the classification. "We’ll see how that unfolds," Roodhooft said. "Those guys have a big lead, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. We’ll see."