The Visma-Lease a Bike team of Jonas Vingegaard were the protagonists, with several contenders for the overall classification — including Remco Evenepoel — distanced as the echelons formed. That main part of the peloton, which also contained Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas, ended up losing 49 seconds to the stage winner.

Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the crash-marred third stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish and Mathieu Van der Poel kept the yellow jersey on Monday. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard — the main contenders — finished safely as they rolled in together with the main pack.

The Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel won stage two of the Tour de France ahead of Slovenian Tadej Pogacar in a sprint finish on Sunday. A large leading group stayed together for much of the stage which boiled up into a mass sprint for the line,