ProTeam Arnaud De Lie takes third spot in first Tour de France bunch sprint
The first flat stage in this Tour de France awaited the riders today, 230 kilometers with a bunch sprint as the expected scenario. Two riders of Uno-X Mobility attacked, but not for long. The Frenchman Fabien Grellier tried later on, and rode to a solo lead of 40 seconds. With the last 30 kilometers, the bunch prepared for a sprint.
The pace went up and crashes also came, with in the final 1.5 kilometers also a crash seeing the sprint being disrupted. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) took his first Tour victory, Arnaud De Lie sprinted to a third spot.
“A first bunch sprint in the Tour is special. The team did great work and gave a very good leadout, I became third, I’m happy with this performance. The Tour is still long, so this is a good sign for what comes and maybe we come closer to the victory next time. I didn’t see the crash, so I actually didn’t know about it, I hope all the riders involved are okay. Sadly this is also part of the Tour de France, everyone wants to win and sometimes it also means taking risks.”
Picture: PhotoNews