HUY, Belgium – A brief look at the 3rd stage of the Tour de France on Monday:
Stage: A 99-mile route from Antwerp to Huy. The stage was marred by two crashes forcing around 20 riders to fall and several to quit the race.
Winner: Spanish veteran Joaquim Rodriguez, who claimed his second career Tour stage win, at the top of the Mur de Huy – a climb with an average gradient of 9.6 percent.
Yellow jersey: Chris Froome. The 2013 Tour winner finished second and gained time on his main rivals. Froome earned a six-second bonus with his second-place finish and is now leading German Tony Martin by one second overall. Two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador trails the Briton by 36 seconds, defending champion Vincenzo Nibali is 1 minute and 38 seconds behind while Colombian climber Nairo Quintana lags 1:56 back.
Quote of the day: “Tomorrow on the cobbles, it will be a matter of survival. It’s an incredible Tour with a lot of stress, tensions and nerves every day.” – Contador, about the challenging cobblestone sections of Tuesday’s stage.
Stat of the day: 8 – The number of riders who received treatment for their injuries during the stage, according to the organizers’ latest medical statement. Four riders – William Bonnet, Tom Dumoulin, Dmitry Kozontchuk and Simon Gerrans – pulled out of the race.
Next stage: The Tour finally enters France with Tuesday’s fourth stage from Seraing, Belgium, to Cambrai. The 138.9-mile ride features seven cobblestone sections spread over more than 8 miles.
