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The first stage of the Tour de France was overshadowed by falls. The heavy rain and the narrow platoon caused several injuries. Including German drivers.
The 107th Tour de France has ended for German professional cyclist John Degenkolb (Gera) after the first stage. The 31-year-old from Team Lotto-Soudal arrived at km 156 long stage to and from Nice on Saturday fell and reached the goal outside the time limit.
“It’s terribly frustrating”
Degenkolb had to undergo an X-ray examination after the race and came out of the mobile medical laboratory with large plasters on his knees. “It doesn’t look good,” he said afterward.
A little later he was sure. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Today I lost everything,” Degenkolb wrote on social media: “It’s terribly frustrating. But that’s the brutal reality of cycling.”
Greipel sewn with four points
Degenkolb was primarily planned as a speed assistant for Australian Caleb Ewan. Roger Kluge (Eisenhüttenstadt) continues to work for the Belgian team Lotto-Soudal in France. After Degenkolbs Aus there are still eleven German drivers in the race.
Sprinter Andre Greipel (Rostock) and all-rounder Nils Politt (Cologne) can continue to compete for the Israel Start-up Nation team despite their crashes. Greipel was sewn with four stitches on the leg. Politt brushed the wounds off his back. Both professional cyclists were saved from breaks.
