The earlier stages in the Tour de France are filled with unpredictability and collisions. This year is different because two of the top contenders or favorites in stage 3 have already been in collisions. The runner-up from last year’s Tour de France, Primoz Roglic, crashed on Monday during the race in the western Brittany region. This was a few hours after the 2018 champion Geraint Thomas also collided with the ground. The defending champion Tadej Pogacar was able to maintain control during the accidents but was slowed down in another pileup.
Tim Merlier from Belgium managed to avoid all the chaos and hustled to ensure his victory. Merlier is not considered one of the favorites for the Tour de France but he still won ahead of his teammates as well. During the final sprint, it was disrupted by another pileup when Caleb Ewan lost control and began sliding. Ewans brought down Peter Sagan with him.
The opening stage on Saturday featured two major pileups, one of them being initiated by spectators. There were Canadians participating at this event such as Montreal’s Guillaume Boivin, who bikes for the Israel Start-Up Nation team. On Monday, he managed to place 23rd, only 14 seconds behind the leader. After the three stages, he stands at 54th place ahead of his teammates.
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