Chris Froome finishes stage two of Tour de France despite injuries, Ineos Grenadiers riders lose more time
Tao Geoghegan Hart lost a big chunk of time for the second day running
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Chris Froome finished stage two of the 2021 Tour de France, surviving the day's parcours and intensity despite spending several hours in hospital the night before.
The Israel Start-Up Nation rider suffered injuries to his left side and chest after falling in the second big crash of stage one.
Fortunately the four-time winner of the race did not break or fracture any bones, saying before the start of stage two that his aim was to survive the ensuing days and hope that he recovers before the end of the first week.
Article continues belowThe 183km second stage in Brittany didn't witness any crashes and all 180 riders who took to the startline finished, with Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Fenix leading the way to also inherit the yellow jersey.
Another rider battered and bruised by Saturday's drama was Marc Hirschi, and the Swiss was also able to complete the day's racing, despite the UAE Team Emirates man sounding a note of worry before the stage began.
The final 20kms of the day was all-action, with mixed fortunes for riders who hope to do well in the general classification.
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Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) moves into third and now has a one-second advantage to Primoż Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), but the biggest shake-up happened with Ineos Grenadiers.
Overnight, Geraint Thomas held an eight-second lead to his team-mate Richard Carapaz, but Thomas finished the stage 23 seconds adrift of race winner Van der Poel and 15 seconds back from Carapaz.
It means that Carapaz is 31 seconds behind Van der Poel and 18 shy of Pogačar, but he has a 10 second lead over Thomas who is 28 seconds in deficit to the defending champion.
The British team entered the race with four potential winners, but Richie Porte and Tao Geoghegan Hart both lost time on stage one.
24 hours later and the duo once again shipped time, Porte now 3-08 from Van der Poel and Geoghegan Hart an insurmountable 9-31 in arrears.
Finishing with the same time as Thomas was Vincenzo Nibali of Trek-Segafredo who is also 41 seconds back from yellow.
Movistar's Miguel Ángel López, meanwhile, is 2-22 behind the leader of the general classification.
A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.