After a spectacular opening weekend of the 112th Tour de France cycling fans had to wait a long time for spectacle on Monday. The mostly flat stage from Valenciennes to Dunkirk unfolded as expected, ending in a bunch sprint. For a long time there seemed to be no problem, but with sixty kilometers to go, the peloton was suddenly startled by a crash of Jasper Philipsen - who was forced to leave the Tour de France.

Then the sprinters' teams took over and the fast men could get ready for the battle for the day's victory. Two crashes marred the finale, in which Tim Merlier eventually won. Wout van Aert and Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not compete for the win and crossed the finish line safely. In the general classification, Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson are still in third and fifth place, respectively.

“We had headwind for most of the day, which created some nervousness in the bunch”, Head of Racing Grischa Niermann explains. "We also saw that in the finale as well, with the crashes. Today was a day where you could really only lose. Luckily, we didn't and we all crossed the finish line safely. It was another strong performance from the team."

Van Aert adds: “In the finale, we drifted a bit towards the back with the team. Overall, I was able to recover well today. Hopefully I’ll feel a bit better tomorrow, so that I can fight for the stage win.” The peloton heads to Rouen tomorrow, where five categorized climbs await just before reaching the finish.