Groenewegen lays ghosts of 2020 horror crash to rest with win in Tour de France’s stage three sprint

A day after Fabio Jakobsen, it was the flip of Dylan Groenewegen to full his personal comeback from their horror crash two years in the past as he gained stage three of the Tour de France in Sondeborg, Denmark.

Groenewegen narrowly beat yellow jersey wearer Wout Van Aert, Jasper Philipsen and Peter Sagan because the 182-kilometre stage from Vejle – the final of this Danish Grand Depart – was determined by mere millimetres.

Groenewegen rode the wheels and got here round first Sagan after which Van Aert to declare his fifth profession Tour stage win and first since 2019.

Dylan Groenewegen gained the Tour stage three sprint by millimetres in a four-way picture end

For a lot of the final two years, Groenewegen has dealt with the aftermath of the high-speed crash on the Tour of Poland that left Saturday’s stage winner Jakobsen with life-threatening accidents.

Groenewegen shouldered a lot of the blame for an incident in which the design of the course was definitely culpable, going through demise threats and being given a nine-month ban by world governing physique the UCI.

The 29-year-old, who broke a collarbone in the crash, didn’t face something just like the bodily restoration Jakobsen did however has spoken of the psychological scars that have been left behind, and there was an emotional response after this win.

‘It was a good distance (again),’ the Bike Exchange-Jayco rider mentioned. ‘I need to say thanks to my staff and my household and associates for getting me again to the Tour in good condition. It’s stunning.

The stage three sprint victory was Groenewegen’s fifth Tour de France stage win of his profession

‘Not bodily however mentally it has been a tough time of course in any case that occurred. This is for my spouse and my son, it means so much.’

Groenewegen mentioned he had been held up in a late crash that cut up the peloton on the strategy to city, although he was in the correct place when it mattered.

‘Yesterday I used to be somewhat bit indignant with myself however right this moment, although I used to be a very long time boxed in and concerned in a crash with 9 kilometres to go, my staff introduced me again into place and I stayed calm to the tip,’ he added.

That crash – in which Chris Froome hit the deck for a second day operating – caught out a quantity of riders although the principle favourites made it via.

Fabio Jakobsen returned after his horror crash with Groenewegen in 2020 to win on Saturday

Van Aert’s second place saved him in the yellow jersey, now with a seven-second benefit over Yves Lampaert thanks to extra bonus seconds.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar stays third, 14 seconds down, and others moved up because the cut up attributable to that crash took its toll.

Primoz Roglic is up to seventh, 23 seconds off yellow, with Ineos Grenadiers pair Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock now each inside the highest 10.

Geraint Thomas is twelfth, 32 seconds down, going into Monday’s switch day because the race strikes to France with a lumpy stage round Calais to come on Tuesday earlier than the cobbles on Wednesday.

Many riders will likely be sorry to go away Denmark behind after some fantastic scenes as followers lined the roads over all three days.

 The Dutchman admitted: ‘Mentally it has been a tough time of course in any case that occurred’

The extent to which the Tour had embraced its host nation was obvious as a quantity of riders carried out pre-stage interviews dressed in Viking helmets on Sunday.

Local favorite Magnus Cort Nielsen then set off a lone breakaway to guarantee he would retain the polka dot jersey, and the EF Education-EasyPost rider was ready to benefit from the adulation of the crowds alone for 129km.

‘The begin in Denmark has been a fairly wonderful expertise,’ Adam Yates mentioned. ‘The crowd has been out in power and there is not been many kilometres on the street the place the gang’s not been at the very least two deep.

‘We’ve carried out a very good job to date, it is a rest day tomorrow and we’ll get well for what’s arising.’