Cycling

Julian Alaphilippe of Deceuninck-QuickStep won Stage 3 of the 2019 Tour de France on Monday and captured the yellow jersey.

Mike Teunissen surrendered the lead in the general classification after a tough day in the saddle.

The Tour crossed the border from Belgium into France, and Alaphilippe timed his final solo attack to perfection during the latter part of the race.

Alaphilippe leads the GC by 20 seconds after Stage 3, with the Frenchman producing a masterclass of timing and sprinting.

Deceuninck-QuickStep celebrated victory: 

Stage 3 Results

1. Julian Alaphilippe, Deceuninck-QuickStep, 4 hours, 40 minutes, 29 seconds

2. Michael Matthews, Team Sunweb, 4:40:55

3. Jasper Stuyven, Trek-Segafredo, 4:40:55

4. Greg van Avermaet, CCC Team, 4:40:55

5. Peter Sagan, Bora-Hansgrohe, 4:40:55

6. Matteo Trentin, Mitchelton-Scott, 4:40:55

7. Sonny Colbrelli, Bahrain-Merida, 4:40:55

8. Xandro Meurisse, Wanty-Gobert, 4:40:55

9. Wout van Aert, Team Jumbo-Visma, 4:40:55

10. Thibaut Pinot, Groupama-FDJ, 4:40:55

Latest General Classification:

1. Julian Alaphilippe, Deceuninck-QuickStep,  9:32:19

2. Wout van Aert, Team Jumbo-Visma, 9:32:39

3. Steven Kruijswijk, Team Jumbo-Visma, 9:32:44

4. George Bennett, Team Jumbo-Visma, 9:32:44

5. Michael Matthews, Team Sunweb, 9:32:59

6. Egan Bernal, Team Ineos, 9:32:59

7. Geraint Thomas, Team Ineos, 9:33:04

8. Enric Mas, Deceuninck-QuickStep, 9:33:05

9. Greg van Avermaet, CCC Team, 9:33:10

10. Wilco Kelderman, Team Sunweb 9:33:10

The full results are available from the Tour de France's official website.

Fine weather greeted the peloton through the Champagne region of France, and there was a large crowd at the start in Binche, Belgium.

The 214-kilometre route favoured the classics riders in the field, with the sprinters saving their legs for the hills. 

Tim Wellens of Lotto Soudal initiated an early small-group breakaway after only 10 kilometres. Stephane Rossetto, Yoann Offredo and Anthony Delaplace followed the Belgian.

The peloton was happy to cruise along for most of the day. Wellens and the breakaway built up a one-minute advantage over the pack, and he appeared composed in the lead.

Paul Ourselin collected 20 points for the intermediate sprint stage, with veteran Offredo in hot pursuit.

Wellens slowly started to drop the riders around him. The flat racing began to hit the hills, and the slopes added a different dimension to the stage.

Road furniture became a challenge in the last 20 kilometres, but Wellens' stamina appeared to be holding before the Category 3 climb in Champagne.

Current Tour champion Geraint Thomas sat patiently in the pack, but the climbing split the field, with many falling off the pace.

Suddenly, Wellens appeared fatigued, and a mechanical issue ended his day, allowing Alaphilippe to attack the lead.

Wellens had earned the King of the Mountains jersey before his departure:

Mikel Landa chased Alaphilippe, and Alexey Lutsenko, Michael Woods and Max Schachmann joined the Spanish climber in pursuit.

However, Alaphilippe had outthought his opponents, and he stayed out at the front with ease.  

The 2019 Tour de France crosses the French border during Stage 3 on Monday.

Team Jumbo-Visma, featuring Mike Teunissen, posted the fastest time at the Stage 2 team time-trail. Sunday's TTT result allowed the Dutchman to retain the yellow jersey.

Stage 3 is less challenging than the mountainous events ahead. The 214-kilometre route will require stamina, timing and discipline, with rapid climbing essential at its conclusion.

Date: Monday, July 8

Time: 11.20 a.m. local, 10.20 a.m. BST, 5.20 a.m. ET

Route: Binche, Belgium to Epernay, France

TV: Eurosport, ITV (UK), NBC (U.S.)

Stream: Eurosport (via Sky Go), ITV Hub, NBC Sports

Preview

Jumbo-Visma laid down a marker down in Stage 2.

Teunissen leads the general classification by 10 seconds, but Team Ineos and Geraint Thomas were 20 seconds behind in second spot, providing the champion with a solid placing.

This is the second time the Tour has visited Epernay, with the race passing through the Champagne region in the north-east of France.

The Tour provided route details for this year's stages:

General classification contenders are expected to seek out comfortable team rides on Monday, and the top names will be attempting to establish a foundation for the their campaigns.

A category-4 climb will challenge the field at the 173-kilometre mark, and the peloton could be split, with teams revealing their tactics towards the end of the stage.

Sprint specialists might struggle during Stage 3, while classic riders will favour the terrain and layout.

The diversity of Peter Sagan could allow him to prevail in Epernay.

The climbing at the end will suit the 29-year-old, and his natural sprinting speed should set him apart from others.

Sagan has won 11 Tour stages during his career. The Bora-Hansgrohe man helped his team to 11th in Sunday's TTT, and he will warm to the overall task in the days ahead.

Julian Alaphilippe is also expected to contend early on during the Tour. The Frenchman is on a winning streak this year following victories at the Fleche Wallonne and the Spring Classic at Milan-San Remo.

The 27-year-old also prevailed at the Strade Bianche, and he has the form and ability to impress during the forthcoming stages.

Team Jumbo-Visma claimed victory in Stage 2 of the Tour de France on Sunday as they went fastest in the team time trial from Brussels Palais Royal to Brussels Atomium:

The result means Stage 1 winner Mike Teunissen will remain in the yellow jersey after his team pipped Team Ineos to top spot with a time of 28 minutes, 57 seconds.

Team Ineos had been the team to beat after going out first and setting a competitive time of 29 minutes, 18 seconds, but Jumbo-Visma went out last and comfortably secured top spot.

Stage 2 Results

1. Team Jumbo-Visma

2. Team Ineos

3. Deceuninck - Quick-Step

The full results are available from the Tour de France's official website.

The second stage of the Tour de France saw teams racing over wide, flat roads on a fast course. There were two checkpoints to gauge the teams' progress. The first at the Bois de la Cambre and the second coming just past the 20 kilometre mark at the Boulevard General Wahis.

Team Ineos were up first and laid down a marker with an impressive time. Geraint Thomas showed no ill-effects from Saturday's crash at the end of Stage 1 to cross the finish line first:

Katusha Alpecin threatened to take top spot from Ineos by posting quicker times at both checkpoints, but they could not maintain their pace throughout and ended up five seconds adrift of the early leaders.

Ineos' time proved tough to beat, leaving the riders with a nervy wait to see if they could hold on to first place:

Deceuninck Quick-Step also started strongly and looked in good shape to trouble Ineos after posting an impressive time through the first checkpoint:

They only narrowly missed out on snatching first place, finishing just 0.82 seconds behind Ineos which saw them end up with third place:

It was left to Jumbo-Visma, the last team to go out, to come up with the goods and seal the quickest time of the day. 

The team went through the first checkpoint 11 seconds clear of Katusha Alpecin's time and were comfortably clear of Ineos over the finish line:

The results meant Teunissen's strong start to the Tour de France continued as he retained the yellow jersey, but it was also a good day for Thomas who gained time on his rivals by finishing second with Ineos.

The 2019 Tour de France continues on Sunday, with Brussels, Belgium, hosting a time trial for Stage 2.

Mike Teunissen was a surprise opening-stage winner, and there was a dramatic crash involving multiple riders at the conclusion of the 192-kilometre flat stage.

The team time trail will be over a 27.6-kilometre course, with Team Ineos, Team Jumbo-Visma, Mitchelton-Scott, Bahrain-Merida, Deceuninck and Team Sunweb expected to post fast times.

Date: Sunday, July 7

Time: 2 p.m. local, 1 p.m. BST, 8 a.m. ET

Route: Royal Palace, Brussels to the Atomium, Brussels

TV: Eurosport, ITV (UK), NBC (U.S.)

Stream: Eurosport (via Sky Go), ITV Hub, NBC Sports

Preview

The shocks often arrive early in the Tour, and Teunissen's success raised a few eyebrows after the opening stage.

A time trial can also provide a surprise winner, but the usual suspects will expect to hit their marks in the Belgium capital.

Last's year's TTT had a sizeable impact on the early general classification, and the sheer speed of this year's course could produce varying results.

The Belgian course is fast. It is built for quick times and does not have the technicality of previous time trials. It is a great opportunity for teams that possess pure sprinters with world-class power.

The Tour provided a guide to sprinting:

Team Ineos—formerly Team Sky—have dominated the competition in recent years, and they will go off first on Sunday.

Reigning champion Geraint Thomas was one of the riders involved in the opening-day crash, and despite not losing any GC time, his team are bottom of the standings.

This forces Thomas and Co. to go off earliest, and they will set the pace for others to chase.

Jumbo-Visma will be the final team to set off in Stage 2, and Teunissen could be part of a consecutive stage success.

The Stage 1 winner is also a good sprinter, and he showed his strength in the final moments of his victory.

Jumbo-Visma are an ambitious team, and after three stage victories last year, they will feel they can win Sunday's race with Dylan Groenewegen part of their team.

Groenewegen won two stages in 2018, and he will be formidable alongside Teunissen.

Mike Teunissen took a surprise win in the opening stage of the 2019 Tour de France on Saturday, crossing the finishing line in Brussels, Belgium, fractionally ahead of Peter Sagan.

The 194.5-kilometre stage ended in dramatic fashion featuring a major crash involving dozens of riders, while Sagan was pipped on the line by the Dutch star in a photo finish:

Stage 1 Result

1. Mike Teunissen

2. Peter Sagan

3. Caleb Ewan

4. Giacomo Nizzolo

5. Sonny Colbrelli

The start of the race saw an early breakaway from Greg Van Avermaet, Natnael Berhane, Mads Wurtz Schmidt and Xandro Meurisse, who moved three minutes clear of the peloton after the first 15 kilometres.

The first climb of the day came on the steep cobbles of Mur de Grammont. 

Berhane took an early lead but was caught by Van Avermaet, who held off pressure from Wurtz Schmidt and Meurisse to make it to the top first and claim the two points:

However, the role were reversed at the next climb, as Van Avermaet was pipped to the top of the Bosberg by Meurisse:

There was drama behind the leaders as Italy's Elia Viviani dropped back after being forced to change his bike, while Alexander Kristoff also suffered a mechanical problem that hit his hopes.

Meanwhile, Sagan, looking for a record seventh green jersey, picked up points by comfortably winning the intermediate sprint ahead of Colbrelli, Van Avermaet and Michael Matthews:

France's Stephane Rossetto made an impression in the closing stages, hitting the front with 50 kilometres remaining:

The 32-year-old, riding in his first Tour de France, was reeled in by the peloton and forced back into the pack as the riders closed in on the finish line at Brussels.

A big pile-up in the run-in saw both Geraint Thomas and Dylan Groenewegen involved and their hopes of victory vanish:

Three-time world champion Sagan looked set to take the win in a nail-biting finish, but he just lost out to Teunissen, who takes the first yellow jersey of 2019.

The 2019 Tour de France begins on Saturday in Belgium to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Tour win of the legendary Eddy Merckx.

Brussels hosts this year's Grand Depart and will be the site of both the start and finish of Stage 1, a 194.5-kilometre flat stage, with Stage 2 a team time trial within the city. 

The opening day's action will take the riders to Flanders, into Wallonia and back up to Brussels, and it includes two cobbled climbs: the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg.

Eurosport 1 and ITV 4 will provide coverage for UK viewers, with live streams available via Eurosport Player and the ITV Hub. Viewers in the United States can tune in via NBC and its NBC Sports Live service.

The absence of Chris Froome through injury has cracked this year's Tour wide open.

The Briton has made it to Paris in the yellow jersey in four of the last six years, and he looked all but unbeatable going into the 2018 Tour before his team-mate Geraint Thomas produced a surprise victory—Froome still came third in the general classification.

He will not be involved this year, though, after he had a serious crash last month:

Tom Dumoulin and Primoz Roglic, second and fourth, respectively, in last year's race, will also be absent from the 2019 Tour. 

Despite Froome's absence, Team Ineos, formerly Team Sky, still look packed with quality.

Not only is Thomas back to defend his title without the challenge of those that finished behind him on the podium, but 22-year-old Egan Bernal looks to be a serious contender.

The Colombian provided crucial support to Thomas and Froome on his Tour debut last year, but now he is co-leader with the 2018 champion.

Thomas has said he is still his team's "Plan A" for the Tour, per Tom Cary of the Telegraph.

But that was the case for Froome last year until the Welshman found himself in yellow.

The dynamics of Team Ineos are set to be one of the storylines of this year's Tour.

For Saturday's opening stage, though, Thomas, Bernal and other GC contenders like Astana's Jakob Fuglsang, Mitchelton-Scott's Adam Yates, Trek-Segafredo's Richie Porte and Movistar duo Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa will simply look to avoid trouble.

The stage will likely finish in a bunch sprint, and the likes of Dylan Groenewegen, Caleb Ewan, Elia Viviani and Peter Sagan should all be competing to be the first man in yellow at this year's Tour.

The 2019 Tour de France is almost upon us, and this year's winner of cycling's most prestigious road race will receive a prize of €500,000 (£450,000).

Per the Tour's official website, that will come from a total purse of around €2.3 million (£2 million).

The second race of cycling's Triple Crown in the calendar, the 2019 Tour will begin in Brussels, Belgium, on Saturday, before concluding on the Champs-Elysee in Paris on July 28.

Along the way, the 2,150-mile route will take the peloton through Reims, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse and Nimes, with visits to the Pyrenees and the Alpine mountain ranges:

Four-time Tour winner Chris Froome will not be competing after he suffered a serious crash last month:

Defending champion Geraint Thomas will participate, though, despite suffering a crash of his own in the Tour de Suisse, also in June.

He's among those looking to capitalise on Froome's absence, and he told BBC 5 Live's Bespoke podcast (h/t BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce) he is "super-motivated and pushing to try to win it again."

The Welshman added:

"I don't feel pressure to prove that my win wasn't a fluke, or whatever negative angle people want to take from it.

"It's actually less pressure. If a rider hasn't quite fulfilled their potential in Grand Tours they might be too eager, to attack too soon or too much, to get too emotional, but I think I can be more chilled, more calculated."

One rider looking for their first Tour de France victory will be Movistar's Nairo Quintana.

The Colombian won the 2014 Giro d'Italia and the 2016 Vuelta a Espana, but the Tour has eluded him thus far. He finished second in 2013 and 2015, and third in 2016.

He was runner-up in Paris-Nice earlier this year, and he also won Stage 6 of the Tour of Colombia on home soil.

Per The Independent's Lawrence Ostlere, this year's Tour has been dubbed "the highest race in history" because of the number of mountain stages the riders will face.

There will be five summit finishes, of which three will be more than two kilometres above sea level, and the peloton will face more Category 2 and 3 climbs than last year.

As a climbing specialist—who won the polka dot jersey in 2013—Quintana should be well-suited to this year's race.

Thomas will provide some tough opposition for the yellow jersey following last year's win, but with Froome absent, the 29-year-old has an excellent chance of completing the Triple Crown set.

Prediction: Nairo Quintana

The 2019 Tour de France begins on Saturday, with champion Geraint Thomas set to defend his title.

The competition will be the 106th edition of the most famous cycling event in the world.

Stage 1 will take place in Brussels, Belgium, with a 192-kilometre flat stage kicking off the action.

A prize pot of €2.3 million will be on offer, with the greatest cyclists on the planet in attendance.

Date: July 6 - July 28

TV: Eurosport, ITV (UK), NBC (U.S.)

Stream: Eurosport (via Sky Go), ITV Hub, NBC Sports

Prize Money: €500,000 for the winner (per the Tour's official website)

Preview

Thomas shocked the world to capture the 2018 title for Team Sky, and the Welshman is part of a competitive field at this year's race.

Former champion Chris Froome is missing after sustaining serious injuries during a training ride before a stage at the Criterium du Dauphine.

Froome came third last year, with his team-mate racing to the win ahead of Tom Dumoulin.

The Tour provided a video outlining the 2019 stage information:

Dumoulin joins Froome on the sidelines with a knee injury, which opens the door to others in the peloton.

Egan Bernal will team up with Thomas as co-leader of Team Ineos, which now sponsors the team after Sky ended its association.

Bernal is young and hungry. The Colombian favours climbing, and this year's Tour has five mountain-top finishes that will benefit the 22-year-old's general classification chances. 

Astana veteran Jakob Fuglsang will also be in the mix for the title, but he is yet to prevail overall at a Grand Tour.

Fuglsang has impressed at the Vuelta a Espana, winning two time-trial stages, but there will be questions about his all-round skill and suitability.

Adam Yates should be a contender for Mitchelton-Scott this year, and the Brit has the climbing ability to attack individual stages.

He is the twin brother of Simon Yates and both are set to be on the start line in Belgium.

A full look at each stage and an event schedule can be viewed on the Tour's website.

Chris Froome will miss the 2019 Tour de France after being involved in a "very serious" crash.

Froome crashed prior to Stage 4 of the Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday, and his team principal Dave Brailsford said he suffered a significant injury that will rule him out of the upcoming spectacle, per BBC Sport.

"He crashed in the downhill section of the course at high speed," Brailsford said. "He hit a wall. It'll take quite a long time before he races again. The ambulance came quickly. He's been taken care of and waits for a helicopter to be transferred to Lyon or Saint-Etienne. It's a very serious accident. Clearly, he won't be at the start of the Tour de France."

The 34-year-old was set to challenge for a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory this year as part of Team Ineos.

BBC Sport added Froome reportedly suffered a broken femur.

The four-time Tour winner's Twitter account provided an update:

Cycling journalist Neal Rogers said it wouldn't be a surprise if the season was over for Froome given the nature of his injuries: 

The Briton had been in eighth place after three days at the Criterium, one of the most prestigious of the preparation events for the Tour.

In 2018, Froome went into the Tour seeking to add to his Giro D'Italia and Vuelta de Espana wins, although he was eventually beaten by team-mate Gareth Thomas and finished third overall. 

The injury for Froome means Thomas will now likely be the sole leader of the Ineos team.

Sports journalist Lars Pollmann is expecting more responsibility to be put on the shoulders of Egan Bernal, who excelled as a domestique to Froome and Thomas a year ago:

The Tour will start in Brussels, Belgium, on July 6, with the winner of the yellow jersey to be confirmed in Paris on July 28.

Colombian cyclist Miguel Angel Lopez has apologized for slapping a man's hat off after the fan knocked him off his bike on Stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Lopez said, according to ESPN.com. "I was full of pure adrenaline. But there needs to be more respect for cyclists."

The fan might have meant well, as he was running next to Lopez in an apparent attempt to encourage him. However, he and another fan entangled with each other and fell into Lopez, which caused him to fall off his bike.

Lopez finished the stage in 18th place, just one minute and 49 seconds behind stage winner Pello Bilbao.

According to Cycling News, Lopez will not be punished for hitting a spectator, as the race jury classified the incident as "human reaction."

The Union Cycliste Internationale describes acts of violence against "any other person" as punishable by race elimination and a fine worth up to 200 of local currency.

"On climbs like that, with so many fans on the road, things can happen, but they've come to see us," Italian cyclist and two-time Giro champion Vincenzo Nibali added, per Cycling News. "The important thing is that everything is well organized and safe.

"... The riders are always asked for a lot, but we just ask for a little more protection. I've got nothing against what Lopez did or what the fan did. Something similar happened to me last year at the Tour de France. I came off worse and it took me a long time to recover and my back still sometimes gives me problems."

Nibali finished Stage 20 in fifth place, just four seconds off the lead. Full stage results are available at the race's official website.

Stage 21, the race's final stage, will take place on Sunday.