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Christophe Petit-Tesson / AP
New Zealand rider George Bennett was one of many who got off his bike on the first stage of the Tour de France.
New Zealand cyclist George Bennett was one of many who felt the weight of a crash-packed first stage of the 2020 Tour de France on Sunday (New Zealand time).
Known for its sunny weather, the seaside city of Nice looked more like a treacherous ice rink, as heavy rains and storms wreaked havoc on the opening day of the sport’s main race.
And Bennett, the Jumbo-Visma rider who is competing in his fourth Tour de France and playing a key supporting role for yellow jersey favorite Primoz Roglic and co-leader Tom Dumoulin, couldn’t escape the carnage, dropping not one, but twice in the 156 km Stage.
Christophe Ena / AP
George Bennett is back on his bike after his first downhill crash.
Nelson’s 30-year-old man first crashed down a hill with about 30km to go, and was left sitting in the middle of the road with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.
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Bennett managed to quickly get back on his bike and rejoin the peloton, although there was more drama to come with only 3km remaining, as one after another he fell like dominoes.
Bennett was helped back on his bike by fellow Kiwi Sam Bewley, a member of the Mitchelton-Scott team.
The riders had successfully requested that the stage be neutralized with times taken for the overall classification at the 3km mark to avoid further crashes on the final long stretch of the road tailor-made for sprinters.
In the end, it was UAE Team Emirates driver Alexander Kristoff who claimed stage honors, with the Norwegian racing in a final sprint.
Defending champion Egan Bernal’s Ineos team was particularly hit by torrential rain at the Riviera resort after a long period of hot and dry weather.
Christophe Ena / AP
Sam Bewley, left, helps fellow Kiwi George Bennett get back on his bike after Bennett’s second accident of the day.
Two of the Colombian climber’s key teammates, Pavel Sivakov and Andrey Amador, were involved in pileups, while several overall contenders, including Frenchman Thibaut Pinot and Colombian climber Nairo Quintana, also fell.
“The Tour is always tense in the early days, but with so many crashes it was exhausting and dangerous,” said Yvon Ledanois, Arkea-Samsic sporting director. “The most important thing for us is that Nairo wasted no time.”
Amador and Sivakov, who were included on the Ineos roster on a mission to support Bernal on the big mountain stages scheduled later in the race, even went down twice as Bennett.
Stuart Franklin / AP
Alexander Kristoff celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the first stage of the Tour de France.
Sivakov struggled to reach the finish, with blood gushing from both arms, and he fell 13 minutes behind Kristoff.
“I think the problem was just the fact that it literally hasn’t rained here for two or three months, then there comes a day where it rains and it’s literally like ice,” said Luke Rowe, Bernal’s teammate.
The most spectacular spill saw Astana leader Miguel Ángel López crash into a signpost after his team decided to accelerate down a descent despite agreement in the peloton to slow down. Astana said he escaped unscathed.
The clash near the end also saw Pinot, the great local hope for the overall victory who was forced to withdraw from the Tour last year a short distance from Paris due to a leg injury, fall hard, slicing a dejected figure in the middle of the road with her lacerated sweater.
– Additional reporting material
