Tour de France Tour de France 2025, Stage 3: Valenciennes – Dunkerque (173.8k)

[Divergence]

Everybody is at fault.
The organizers are including such stages in the race for no apparent reason other that maybe some cities pay some money to them. There is no excitement and there is no action. Unless you are a sadist and want to watch riders crash.
The riders as a whole are at fault for accepting to ride such stages during grad tours. Sure, have some stage races such as the China one or Poland or UAE where all the stages are for "sprinter" and let the meatheads battle it out. But leave the Gand tours for professional road riders.
And, of course, the meatheads themselves. People taught to lean on others, shoulder bang, put knees out, dive for gaps that are not there... Just a reckless bunch of people... Just go to the track where you belong.

 

[Ulfhednar]

Criticize the organizers all you want...these crashes were solely the responsibility of the riders. Ridiculous really, the riders need to accept the responsibility and learn some self control.

 

[titan31]

It was Coquard (what a day for him...), Renard had a flat late on.

Ah assumed Coquard had sat up

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogačar is leading Vingegaard 91 against 93 on stage placings. BFFs. Trine and Urška are getting jealous.

A bromance in full flight! Let's wait for further comments from jealous Vingo's wife, should be interesting...

 

[mountainroad]

This is not the fault of the organizers.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Do we know anything about the dude who got shot off into the barrier?

 

[Unchained]

Milan..thinking did my big hairdresser on fire argument with Girmay and all the questions over and over and over about the argument cost me the half a calorie for concentration at the line? Only Merlier knows for sure..

 

[Heston]

Coquard plowing Rex and Philipsen really cannot be blamed on ASO.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

This is not the fault of the organizers.

I mean, on a sociological scale, it's everybody's fault.

 

[postmanhat]

Straight wide road until 2k to go today, big factor in the Meeus/Evenepoel crash.

And even for the final 2k, you should have curves that string out the peloton, not whatever the *** this was. Also impossible to sprint in a straight line here, the only reason that didn't cause major issues is because we were down to like 15 riders by that point.

They crash on wide straight roads, they crash on very gentle bends.

I honestly don't see how the organisers can win anymore, or where sprint stages will be held, given the nature of nearly all European towns and cities?

You have 10-15 teams desperate for the UCI points on offer in the lower placings, putting everyone at risk. Plus GC riders/teams hanging around at the front.

 

[tobydawq]

Looks like Pogacar in 19th has now changed to Niklas Markl.

Understandable confusion tbh

Well, but their numbers start with 1, how can anyone tell the difference?

 

[dobrien]

The crash at the end was barely a curve at all, more of a slight bend.

Riders crash on big, wide motor racing circuits. It's the nature of the way the peleton rides these days.

I'm well aware of that, I've been watching cycling for a very long time. This one just struck me as particularly stupid, but perhaps that's just me. Maybe I'm just getting to the end of my tether with what a meat grinder the sport is, I've been there for quite awhile...

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Coquard plowing Rex and Philipsen really cannot be blamed on ASO.

That's not what happened. Rex was behind and gave Coquard no room. Sure, Coquard moved right, but not dramatically so, for a sprint.

 

[AmRacer]

Coquard plowing Rex and Philipsen really cannot be blamed on ASO.

It wasn't his fault.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The organizers are including such stages in the race for no apparent reason other that maybe some cities pay some money to them. There is no excitement and there is no action. Unless you are a sadist and want to watch riders crash.

Dunkerque has 87000 inhabitants, the idea that they couldn't design a safer finish in a city of this size is nonsensical. They also took the approach that was least likely to result in echelons (not that it would have mattered today with the headwind, but still). As far as minimising the risk of big crashes goes, this was a truly abysmal job by ASO.

 

[noob]

A bromance in full flight! Let's wait for further comments from jealous Vingo's wife, should be interesting...

2021 Jonas rode beside UAE like it was is own team. Him and Tadej constantly together punishing Carapaz for trying to ride smart. After one of such mountain finishes Jonas went to throw himself at Tadej from atop from behind. But Tadej wasn't interested. Jonas thought that if he would just be better than Tadej Tadej would change his mind, but Tadej instead started spanking Remco. Ever since Jonas has been in great distress and wanted to fix his home to forget about Tadej, but no Visma wouldn't allow it.

Of course Trine had to step in. That's what wives are for.

 

[Red Rick]

Everybody is at fault.
The organizers are including such stages in the race for no apparent reason other that maybe some cities pay some money to them. There is no excitement and there is no action. Unless you are a sadist and want to watch riders crash.
The riders as a whole are at fault for accepting to ride such stages during grad tours. Sure, have some stage races such as the China one or Poland or UAE where all the stages are for "sprinter" and let the meatheads battle it out. But leave the Gand tours for professional road riders.
And, of course, the meatheads themselves. People taught to lean on others, shoulder bang, put knees out, dive for gaps that are not there... Just a reckless bunch of people... Just go to the track where you belong.

They were clearly hoping for echelons. Wind didn't play ball.

Seriously they made the parcours as wide as everyone is always begging for and then the riders go and do this.

 

[titan31]

This is not the fault of the organizers.

I disagree. When they opt to not punish riders swerving across the road in a sprint, crashes happen.

It's clear that self regulation of the riders isn't working for safe sprint finishes imo. Everyone one of us here knew coming into this stage that there was going to be crash. It's inevitable with the size of the peloton (which was increased) and how these guys race

 

[RobertCrawley]

I'm not sure he'd be the best cyclist

A lot of KOM points though.

 

[RedheadDane]

But leave the Gand tours for professional road riders.

I don't know how to break this to you, but Merlier and Milan (and Philipsen, and all the other sprinters) are in fact also professional road riders.

 

[mountainroad]

I mean, on a sociological scale, it's everybody's fault.

As a social scientist, I can't dislike this response.

 

[RobertCrawley]

I'm on board with Coquard for the combativity prize.

Rickaert in the mix as well.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

They crash on wide straight roads, they crash on very gentle bends.

I honestly don't see how the organisers can win anymore, or where sprint stages will be held, given the nature of nearly all European towns and cities?

You have 10-15 teams desperate for the UCI points on offer in the lower placings, putting everyone at risk. Plus GC riders/teams hanging around at the front.

You can't rule out crashes in a sprint, but you can influence the chance of them happening and the speeds at which they might occur. Compared to the other finishes ASO have designed for the sprint stages this year, today's stage sticks out like a sore thumb, IMO.

 

[Heston]

That's not what happened. Rex was behind and gave Coquard no room. Sure, Coquard moved right, but not dramatically so, for a sprint.

Whether that's true or not, it is still the riders' fault and not the organisers.

 

[Red Rick]

Dunkerque has 87000 inhabitants, the idea that they couldn't design a safer finish in a city of this size is nonsensical. They also took the approach that was least likely to result in echelons (not that it would have mattered today with the headwind, but still). As far as minimising the risk of big crashes goes, this was a truly abysmal job by ASO.

If a big straight road is a danger zone right now to the point we blame organisers for mass crashes then we've truly lost the plot.

It's the very definition of rider behavior causing everything.