Fall-“hell” in the first stages

Out of the Olympic champion and sprint star

Fall chaos in the tour “hell”

The first three stages of the Tour de France have been completed. However, there were also plenty of falls – as well as prominent tasks.

Other sizes of cycling also had to end the tour due to falls. Already on the first day of the major event, Olympic champion and time trial favorite Filippo Ganna from Ineos Grenadiers as well as Swiss Stefan Bisseger (Decathlon AG2R) met. After the fall of Philipsen, there were other crashs on the third stage. Around three kilometers before the finish, Jordi Meeus and Laurence Pithie went down (both Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). It was the fall that Evenepoel was also involved.

Red Bull sports director Rolf Aldag therefore said: “The first week is probably the most dangerous because everyone believes that they can write cycling history. In the second, third week everyone knows where they belong. Then it is also withdrawn and slowed down.” After the first three stages, some drivers already have grazes and injuries.

Biniam Girmay, one of the favorites on the green jersey after the end of the tour, said on Monday evening: “I think we drove through hell today.” Then he stated: “I thank God and am overjoyed that I was sure to get to the finish. Every time I heard that the driver fell behind me, my pulse went up to 300.”

The World Association UCI had introduced new measures in advance to increase security in the field, for example through yellow cards. In the case of two warnings in a race, a seven -day lock takes place. Three yellow cards within 30 days result in a lock of 14 days.

But neither yellow cards nor the changed kilometer rule could prevent the risk of remaining high on the stages. When falling on flat stages within the last five kilometers, the drivers concerned are evaluated at the same time in the group at the time of the incident.

The German Sprinter Phil Bauhaus said: “After the World Cup, the tour is the largest that can be achieved as a cycling professional. Therefore, the risk to risk is extremely high here.”