After the unexpected fireworks of the first two days, with several stars waving the race and favorites Tadej Pogacar y Jonas Vingegaard more restless than I would advise a start of Francia Tourcyclists have decided to take the 3rd stage peacefully, whose courage has jumped through the air with the violent fall and abandonment of Jasper Philipsen 60 km from the goal, sad preamble of chaos lived later in the final three kilometers.
The Belgian of Alpecin-DECEUNINCK It was Saturday the first Tour leader after winning the initial stage, his partner yellow gave on Sunday Mathieu van der Poel And, wearing the green jersey as a king of regularity, this Monday he has had to retire from the race after going to the ground in the intermediate sprint of Isbergues When touching Bryan Coquardunbalanced by Laurenz Rex.
“To abandon the green jersey is not a pleasant experience. I want to apologize to Jasper Philipsen and with the alpecin, although it was obviously not intentionally. I am not a bad person,” Coquard explained, sorry for the goal. In that incident it remained on top of the bike, but the Frenchman did then fell into the last accident of the day.
Jasper Philipsen “will be operated after suffering a fracture of the right clavicle with displacement and having at least one broken rib, possibly two,” said his equipment
Jasper already adds 54 victories in his professional career, 10 of them in the Tour, distributed in the last four editions, two in 2022, four in 2023, three in 2024 and that of Saturday in 2025. Philipsen suffers “a fracture of the right clavicle with displacement and at least has a broken rib, possibly two”, reads in the first medical statement of the alpecin. The Belgian will be surgically intervened in the Hospital de Herentals.
Philipsen, 27 years old and Great Sprinter, was one of the favorites to also sign up the victory in Dunkirkend of a flat stage without important movements in the platoon, but its abandonment has cut the possibility of expanding that fruitful relationship between the Belgian corridor and the most prestigious test of world cycling.
Several cyclists try to get out of a fall in the 3rd stage of the tour
Another fall at 3 kms from the arrival and a third in the penultimate curve, already just 300 meters of finish, have altered the preparation of the sprint, resolved in the 'photo-petish' in favor of the Belgian Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) after a titanic effort and duel with the Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek).
Merlier (32 years old) and Milan (24) starred in a brutal sprint that gave the Belgian his 61st professional victory, the 11th of the season that reaffirms Merlier as a reference of the year in mass arrivals.
“I am very happy, it is my second victory in the Tour and I have only played the sprint on the Tour,” Merlier exclaimed in allusion to his 2021 victory in Pontivywhen he premiered as the winner in the gala round. The Belgian is the current European route champion, one of his victories last year.
The country y Bryan Coquard they suffered a violent somersault in the last fall, next to Arnaud de Lie. “We ran like crazy. I am happy to have finished healthy. I'm sorry for all those who fell, especially for Jasper. I was going so fast that, at a given time, I almost fell. It was very hard,” summarized the erythrecious sprinter on the final sprint Biniam Girmaywho finished 6th.
Read too
The next few hours will determine the scope of the injuries or the discomforts suffered by the cyclists involved in the falls, including Remco Evenepoel y Primoz Roglic. Both crossed the goal apparently without problems after being cut at 3 km from the arrival, already without a penalty of time, so that they follow 49 “by Van der Poel, leader with 4” advantage over Pogacar and 6 “with respect to Vingegaard.
Pogacar and Vingegaard are the greatest favorites to the final victory in the Tour, but the Belgian and the Slovenian are also two front row animators and could end up the main war if they reach the superb pedal coup that has already shown so many times to the highest level.
As a curiosity, 38 km for the conclusion, Tim Wellensthe current champion of Belgiumjumped from the platoon, but only to crown first in Mont Cassel and thus remove the mountain jersey to Pogacar, his chief of ranks in the UAEattentive to any detail that affects the current Tour champion: without that sweater, the Slovenian has less advertising commitments and can be withdrawn before to rest.
