Stage 3 Of The Tour de France Summary

Stage 3 of the Tour de France was boring and then interesting. For the first three hours of stage 3, there was no breakaway, which was unusual, and the peloton, or pack of riders, was traveling at a leisurely pace. Then stage 3 became very interesting quickly.

As the riders approached the finish line, they went faster and faster. At an intermediate sprint with sixty kilometers to go, Jasper Philipsen, the best bicycle sprinter in the world, crashed at a high rate of speed and was taken to the hospital. He was forced to abandon the tour. Had you ever heard of him?

Stage 3 Of the Tour de France Summary

Tim Merlier came in first in stage 3 from Valenciennes to Dunkirk. He won a stage four years ago. Jonathan Milan finished second, by an inch. Phil Bauhaus was third. Søren Wærenskjold was fourth. Pavel Bittner was fifth. Biniam Girmay was sixth today. He was second yesterday. Last year, he won a couple of stages, and being from Eritrea, he became the first winner of a stage from Africa. He is not having a good season, but last year he received a hero’s welcome when he returned to his native land.

Mathieu van der Poel kept his yellow jersey, as he finished close enough to the winner. But, by far, the biggest news of stage 3 was the abandonment of the Tour by Philipsen. That was unfortunate. Many riders said afterward that they were facing a headwind. That is dangerous.

The Various Jerseys and Awards

There are several notable jerseys for which the riders compete. The competition for the jerseys can be important, as Philipsen, the best sprinter in the world, abandoned the Tour with an injury. The green jersey goes to the rider who has the most points accumulated in sprints. A rider can get those points in intermediate sprints and by winning or placing highly in a stage. It is also the case that the most aggressive rider, as voted by a jury of Tour de France officials.

The most sought-after jersey is the yellow jersey. That one goes to the rider with the lowest overall time in the race. It is the most prestigious award in all of sports, which is why people cheat to get it (like Lance Armstrong). The current favorite is Tadej Pogačar. The yellow jersey is often won or lost in the high mountain stages. So, the person who wins it must be a good climber. It is interesting to note that teams must defend the yellow jersey from attacks, and due to that hard work, early in the race, like stage 3, the teams of the top contenders do not want the yellow jersey.

There are two other jerseys that are up for grabs. The polka dot jersey is, like the green jersey, awarded on points that are awarded at intermediate points along the stages. It is often the case that the overall winner also wins the polka dot jersey. This is because it is necessary to win stages in the mountains. The final jersey, the White Jersey, goes to the rider who has the best time and is under 25. Recently, it has been the case that the best young rider has been in contention for the yellow jersey.

Conclusion

The riders finished stage 3 today in Dunkirk. Dunkirk is, of course, where the English were evacuated from the advancing Germans. There was a movie made about it. The stage tomorrow is a hilly 143.3 kilometer stage.