Watch Nairo Quintana’s rapid recovery after crash in awful weather during Tour de France 2020 stage one
The Colombian GC leader is just one of many riders to lose his wheels on day one
The first stage of the 2020 Tour de France has been a hectic day of racing as countless crashes hindered the peloton in awful weather.
Heavy rain has battered the peloton on the roads around Nice during the opening day of racing, with multiple riders going down in the treacherous conditions.
So far, Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) and Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) are among the most notable riders to hit the ground during the 156km stage in Nice.
A video circulating online show’s Quintana’s absolutely rapid recovery from his crash, which happened on a slick road during a right hand turn, as the Colombian was back on his bike and riding again before the peloton had even passed him.
The crash happened at the front of the bunch as a Bora-Hansgrohe rider accelerated in the corner and lost his back wheel, with his bike sliding out towards Quintana.
Quintana’s front wheel lost group and he was sent sliding to the floor. Luckily he was uninjured.
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But before viewers had the chance to figure out what had happened or who had crashed, Quintana had jumped up, put his chain back on and was on the bike and pedalling before the remains of the peloton had even passed him.
The opening stage of the Tour has been absolute chaos due to the dangerous conditions caused by heavy downpours and slippery road surfaces.
Sivakov, riding his first Tour de France, crashed around 50km into the stage and found himself chasing back onto the peloton, while also trying to get attention from the medical car.
The Russian had blood dripping from his elbow. He then crashed again while chasing back on.
Julian Alaphilippe also crashed during the day and was forced to wait at the side of the road for a new bike as the disc brake on his first wheel appeared to be damaged.
>>> How to live stream the Tour de France: watch the Tour de France 2020 from anywhere
After a long chase, Alaphilippe was finally able to rejoin the peloton with around 80km left to race.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.