For its final stop in the Nord department, the Tour de France peloton experienced a mixed day on Monday. Extremely calm for a long time, the third stage of the Tour de France then proved marred by serious crashes, especially in the final. Paul Penhoët was caught in one of them just a few hundred meters from the finish line and hit the ground. Although he didn’t suffer any serious injury, the French rider was unable to take part in the day’s sprint. Tuesday, a hilly finish will bring the riders to Rouen.
After leaving Valenciennes on Monday, the third stage of the Tour de France first seemed like a walk in the park for the peloton, which appeared playful and relaxed, while no one seemed eager to form a breakaway over the 178 kilometres leading to Dunkirk. “With the headwind and crosswind all day, we kind of knew that no one would be motivated,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “We were expecting this scenario. We had to stay calm and put everything for the sprint today.” No fugitives got away, and the peloton rode as a whole from start to finish. Sixty kilometres from the finish, however, a peak of tension occurred approaching the intermediate sprint. This unfortunately led to the crash and abandon of the green jersey Jasper Philipsen, while Paul Penhoët managed to avoid the incident. “There are risks for sure given the number of sprinters who want to join the fight on this Tour,” commented Benoît. “Unfortunately, we know there’s not enough room for everyone…”
“We were a little worried about a crash”, Benoît Vaugrenard
Following this first incident, the riders eased off a little, before nerves rose sharply as the final approached, in preparation for the highly anticipated sprint. Lewis Askey, Cyril Barthe, and Clément Russo gathered around Paul Penhoët and brought him at the front of the peloton in the final three kilometres. While Groupama-FDJ was able to avoid a first crash, the final sprint didn’t quite go their way. “There was a corner with 1,5k to go, where we had to be in position because the road narrowed, and we knew there were curves in the last kilometre that could lead to a rather hectic finish,” Benoît added. “We were a little worried about a crash, and unfortunately, it happened.” Paul Penhoët, then on the outside, was hit by a rider coming from the right and couldn’t avoid crashing at high speed. “I think it was the best line,” he said. “I think I made the right tactical choice. Then, what happened happened, but I would have been in the mix without the crash.”Fortunately, the Groupama-FDJ rider was able to get up and reach the finish line on foot. “Given the speed, we were a bit scared, but when we saw him get up and walk, that was a relief,” Benoît said. “He was more scared than hurt, even if you can’t ever underestimate a crash.””I’ll take it day by day, and we’ll see how it goes,” added Paul. The young man was therefore unable to show himself in this third stage, won by Tim Merlier. On Tuesday, the punchers should make their return to the forefront in Rouen. “The last twenty-five kilometers are hard, but there will be crosswinds, it will be very exposed, and we will have to be attentive from the start,” concluded Benoît.
