Cancellara out after a crash-marred 3rd stage of Tour

Tonight the Hell of the North comes to the 2015 Tour de France, so join us from 9:30pm for live race updates and commentary as Stage 4 sees the peloton race over the legendary cobbled roads of Northern France. With the race moving from neighboring Netherlands into Belgium, Stage 3 was 99 miles from Anvers to Huy.

He began the day with the Yellow Jersey and ended it completely out of the Tour de France. “I was speaking to Froome and (Tejay) Van Garderen and I told them that these are the kind of opportunities you have to take”. “A huge thank you to my teammates today”.

The Swiss veteran, who started the day with the yellow jersey, managed to reach the finish line after being thrown over his handlebars. More importantly, Froome’s touted main rivals are lagging.

Froome gained 11 seconds on his overall rivals, defending champion Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana, while Alberto Contador lost 18sec.

He will be looking for some payback from the time he dropped in Stage 2, so expect the Shark of Messina to attack and attempt a repeat of last year’s legendary ride.

Prudhomme said that four ambulances and two medical cars treated the injured riders on the site of the crashes, which happened with less than 60km to go.

Race leader Fabian Cancellara saw his hopes of clinging onto the yellow jersey disappear after he was caught up in the melée, and Laurens Ten Dam (LottoNL-Jumbo) dislocated his shoulder but bravely carried on to finish the stage.

The extent of Henderson’s injuries were not known, he got back on his bike and completed the stage.

Cancellara, who had fractured his back earlier in the season, later announced he had broken “some bones on my back again” and that his Tour was over, while his Trek Factory Racing team tweeted photographs of his X-ray.

“We are approaching these stages as one day races and starting from scratch and I think the yellow jersey will give everyone a boost and more reason to be at the front”.

At least one rider was stretchered away in a neck brace, and six riders eventually withdrew from the race, including overnight leader Fabian Cancellara and Australian Simon Gerrans. This time, the weather was not to blame. The Frenchman went down and skidded on the road, causing a domino effect which resulted in 20 riders coming off their bikes.

At one point Team Sky riders accelerated before Cancellara made his way back to a bunch that was riding at the minimum pace required when a race is neutralised.

Sky manager Dave Brailsford added: “It was a good decision”. “People can say whatever they want”. Doubtless because of fatigue, the others let them go.