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.
Dylan Groenewegen wins stage 3!
Groenewegen pinches the stage victory in a photo finish – I think!
Tour de France stage 3
Groenewegen, Van Aert, Sagan all sprinting for line...
Tour de France stage 3
1km to go: Sagan moves up but Jakobsen is falling back...
Tour de France stage 3
2km to go: All the big sprinters seem to be involved here – this is going to be another thrilling sprint finish. Can Jakobsen make it two from two?
Tour de France stage 3
3km to go: Yves Lampaert of QuickStep gets his elbows out to try and control this sprint finish, but Mathieu van der Poel is dragging Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Jasper Philipsen in to position too.
Tour de France stage 3
A look at that crash which sent a huge number of riders tumbling and split the peloton:
Tour de France stage 3
5km to go: Bike-Exchange are up there too, trying to get in position for Dylan Groenewegen to contest the sprint finish.
Tour de France stage 3
6km to go: The front group cross the bridge into the heart of Sonderborg as they near the finish. Jumbo-Visma and QuickStep lead the way...
Tour de France stage 3
Crash! As the road narrowed, a couple of riders slowed and their shoulders touched, and a ripple effect sent a huge number of riders tumbling. It didn’t look like there were any major injuries but there are going to be some huge time losses – the front group have sped off with no mercy.
Tour de France stage 3
10km to go: The road has narrowed as the bunch approaches the finish town of Sonderborg, forcing one or two riders out on to the grass edges either side. A variety of teams are up at the front, with Jumbo-Visma and Lotto-Soudal occupying the left-hand side of the peloton’s nose and QuickStep on the right side.
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