Tour de France LIVE: Stage 3 result as Dylan Groenewegen wins photo finish after crash
The Tour de France resumes with its final Danish leg, a 182km ride down the mainland coastline finishing in the town of Sonderborg
Dylan Groenewegen won stage three of the Tour de France in a four-way photo finish in Sondeborg, Denmark.
Groenewegen narrowly beat yellow jersey wearer Wout van Aert, Jasper Philipsen and Peter Sagan in a dramatic finish to the 182km stage from Vejle as the Danish Grand Depart came to a dramatic end. Groenewegen rode the wheels and came around first Sagan and then Van Aert to claim his fifth career Tour stage win and first since 2019.
After Fabio Jakobsen claimed an emotional stage victory on Saturday to complete his comeback from the life-threatening injuries he suffered at the Tour of Poland in 2020, Sunday was the turn of the rider he collided with two years ago.
Groenewegen did not face the physical recovery Jakobsen did from that incident, but had spoken of the mental scars after he faced death threats and abuse in its wake - with the Dutchman also handed a nine-month ban by world governing body the UCI.
“It was a long way (back),” Groenewegen said. “I want to say thank you to my team and my family and friends for getting me back to the Tour in good shape. It’s beautiful.
“Not physically but mentally it’s been a hard time of course after all that happened. This is for my wife and my son, it means a lot.”
Groenewegen said he had been held up in a late crash that split the peloton a little over 10km from the line, though he was in the right place when it mattered.
“Yesterday I was a little bit angry with myself but today, though I was a long time boxed in and involved in a crash with nine kilometres to go, my team brought me back into position and I stayed calm to the end,” he added.
Follow the latest updates from stage 3 of the 2022 Tour de France below.
Tour de France stage 3
110km to go: Magnus Cort remains around three and a half minutes out in front on his own and it looks like he might get to pinch another point at the second categorised climb of the day.
Tour de France stage 3
120km to go: The most exciting thing that’s happened in the peloton, up to now, is Pogacar and Van Aert taking a pitstop to answer a call of nature – they’ve caught back up with the group. A few injections of speed from Quickstep in particular, having moved things along, and they are doing their best to control the front with the aim of setting up Fabio Jakobsen for the sprint finish in Sonderborg.
Tour de France stage 3
Another Dane, Kasper Asgreen on riding through his hometown, Kolding, today:
It’s going to be super special. I’ve heard rumours about all the celebrations that’s going to be happening in my hometown, in the last couple of months. So I’m super excited to see everything now.
It’s been my training roads for the last 12 years, so – maybe except the last 40km towards Sonderborg, that’s a bit too far south for me – but everything else I know like the back of my hand.
I’ve been looking forward to this stage for a long time, and I’m just excited to get rolling now. I think there is a few tricky points out there where it could be an advantage to know, but I think most of the teams are so well prepared nowadays, I think most of them is going to know as well. But if there’s a small advantage it’s always nice.”
Wout van Aert wearing yellow
Is there any other rider who could win just about any given stage of the Tour de France? Van Aert has time trial, sprint and mountain stages on his CV, having triumphed up the iconic Mont Ventoux in last year’s race. To win on Ventoux and the Champs-Elysees, as he did in 2021, is extraordinary. A seriously multi-talented rider.
Tour de France stage 3
Wout van Aert finished second in both of the first two stages, which might ordinarily be a reason to be frustrated, but the Belgian has of course grabbed the yellow jersey, by one second, a prestigious prize in its own right.
Tour de France stage 3
145km to go: The crowds have been absolutely sensational in Denmark over the past couple of days, and they continue to line the route in huge numbers. Just look at this image of Magnus Cort approaching the Koldingvej summit earlier, which resembles a scene from Alpe d’Huez.
Tour de France stage 3
Magnus Cort remains out in front of the peloton on his own by about five minutes. He’s got about 45km to go until he reaches the next categorised climb, so he may try and hang around out in front in order to pick up another King of the Mountains point. Either way, the polka dot jersey is secured for when they arrive in France on Tuesday.
Geraint Thomas welcomes ‘Grandad’ Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France underdog tip
More on Geraint Thomas:
Geraint Thomas was happy to hear his prospects for yellow at this year’s Tour de France talked up by “Grandad Brad” Wiggins but insisted he will take things as they come over the next three weeks.
Thomas goes into Friday’s opening stage in Copenhagen on the back of victory in the Tour de Suisse two weeks ago. However, he is one of three leaders of the Ineos Grenadiers – alongside Dani Martinez and Adam Yates – as they look to take on the likes of defending champion Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic.
Wiggins last week told a Eurosport podcast that the 36-year-old Welshman might be an underdog this summer but warned to “dismiss Geraint Thomas at your peril” as he backed him for a podium finish.
Magnus Cort Nielsen first up Koldingvej climb
155km to go: The Danish fans are out in force once more today and they are delighted to see their man Magnus Cort pick up the King of the Mountains point he needs to lock in the polka dot jersey for the Tour’s arrival in France on Tuesday. He will sit up and relax now, you suspect, and let the peloton slowly reel him in.
Tour de France stage 3
Geraint Thomas has enjoyed a relatively smooth first two days of this Tour, for him. His main hiccup came when he forget to take off his warm-up jacket before embarking on the stage 1 time trial, which may have cost him a few seconds, but he sits comfortably in the top 20 overall, 26 seconds behind the early race leader Van Aert.
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