Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen withdrew from the Tour de France on Monday, just two days after winning the opening stage, following a brutal crash during Stage 3 that left him unable to continue.
Philipsen, who was wearing the green jersey, went down hard with around 60 km to go after making contact with French rider Bryan Coquard during an intermediate sprint. The crash ripped his jersey in multiple places and left him bloodied with visible scrapes. He was treated on-site by the race doctor but later abandoned the stage.
“Displaced fracture of the right collarbone, surgery will definitely be required. At least one broken rib, possibly two,” read a statement from his Alpecin-Deceuninck team. “He will be, as soon as possible, transferred to the hospital in Herentals, where he will undergo surgery.”
“It’s clear that the other two riders collided, and as a result, Jasper was hit and crashed badly,” said his team manager Philip Roodhooft. “There’s a reason for it, but we’re not talking about who’s to blame, it’s a case of bad luck and an incident in the race… It’s a blow to the mental health of the whole team, and it’s the worst thing for Jasper. But it goes on.”
Coquard, visibly shaken, expressed regret: “I was clearly off balance and lost the pedal. I’d like to apologise to Philipsen and Alpecin, even if it wasn’t deliberate.”
Stage 3 saw multiple crashes, including one involving Remco Evenepoel. Belgium’s Tim Merlier won the stage in a sprint finish.
