Steven Kruijswijk will continue the Tour de France after he was able to finish stage three with a wounded hand.
The Jumbo-Visma rider, who is supporting Primož Roglič in the 2021 Tour, was one of the dozens of riders caught in crashes on stage three, and was left with a cut to his hand.
Despite the shocking images of blood running down from his hand to his leg, Kruijswijk was able to finish the stage and was taken to hospital for checks.
The Dutchman received stitches in his right middle finger but Jumbo-Visma have confirmed he will continue the race on stage four.
Dutch WorldTour squad Jumbo will be keen to put stage three from Lorient to Pontivy behind them, after crashes completely upended their strategy for the 2021 Tour.
Steven Kruijswijk on stage three of the Tour de France 2021
(Image credit: STEPHANE MAHE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Early in the day, their domestique Robert Gesink was involved in a crash with Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), as Gesink was forced to abandon the race due to his injuries.
Into the final 10km, more disaster struck for Jumbo with their chosen leader Roglič and Kruijswijk both crashing.
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Amid the chaos, Roglič lost more than a minute to his rivals by the finish, a significant blow to his general classification hopes.
Roglič was checked by doctors after the stage and fortunately avoided any fractures, but suffered multiple cuts and grazes.
The Slovenian said: “Today was not our best day. I’m covered in abrasions from head to toe. Fortunately, the medical examination showed that nothing is broken. Everything is still in one piece, so I will continue. Fortunately I can continue the Tour.
“You don’t want anyone to lie on the ground. You train so hard for a certain goal. This bad luck cannot be calculated in. It is now a matter of getting through the next few days. We will continue to fight for it no matter what.”
He will start stage four.
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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.
