The opening stage of the Tour de France turned into a virtual ice rink and it wasn't pretty.
Known for its sunny weather, the seaside city of Nice looked more like a treacherous ice rink on Saturday as heavy rain and storms played havoc with Tour de France riders on the opening day of cycling's marquee race, causing inevitable crashes.
"The Tour is always tense in the opening days, but with so many crashes it was grueling and dangerous," said Yvon Ledanois, sports director at Arkea-Samsic.Riders are assisted after a crash on the opening day of the Tour de France. "I think the problem was just the fact that it literally hasn't rained here for two or three months, then you get one day where it rains and it's literally like ice," said Luke Rowe, a teammate of Bernal.Spills punctuated the 156km stage throughout a grueling day.
"I have to say chapeau to the whole peloton really, minus Astana, who decided to hit it down one descent and as a result their leader was then on their back," Rowe said. "They made themselves look pretty stupid."After ace Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan hit the ground with 49km to the finish line on the famed Promenade des Anglais, George Bennett crashed in a tricky downhill and got back on his bike with an apparent shoulder injury.
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