Ganna first to pull out of Tour de France in blow for Ineos
Ganna, a former two-time time trial world champion, crashed on a bend with 132 kilometers to go. The Ineos rider took a long time to get going again, after changing bike and even shoes, to catch up with the peloton. But he was dropped on the Cassel climb and decided to call it a day some 65 km from the finish of the first stage in Lille.
It's a big blow for the Ineos team and for the 28-year-old Italian, who had enjoyed a fine classics campaign, including a second-place finish at Milan-Sanremo in March. Ganna was a candidate for victory in the stage 5 time trial in Caen, as was Stefan Bissegger.
The Swiss rider from the Decathlon-AG2R team also fell on Saturday, four kilometers after Ganna, in the company of Belgian Thibau Nys. Visibly stunned, Bissegger underwent a concussion protocol before getting back on his bike. But he then put his foot down on this very nervous first stage in the North.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Van der Poel powers into Tour de France lead
The victory saw the Dutch rider take the lead in the overall standings after depriving Pogacar of his 100th career win as around 30 riders broke away in the final 2km. It was a second Tour de France stage win for Van der Poel, who took the yellow jersey from his teammate Jasper Philipsen, the winner of Saturday's opening stage for Alpecin. Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard seemed at ease as he crossed the line in third with Frenchman Romain Gregoire fourth and his compatriot Julian Alaphilippe fifth. The race got going as Pogacar and Vingegaard tested each other over the final 20km with three short, sharp climbs on narrow roads. That struggle blew up a peloton that had been largely sedate until then. Heavy rain left giant puddles at the tiny start town of Lauwin Planque as the 182 riders set off on the 209km run towards the coastal port. Regional police estimated that one million spectators had lined the roadsides on the opening day of action, but the rain dissuaded that kind of turnout on Sunday. Monday's third stage is a 178km flat run to Dunkirk, where a mass bunch sprint is expected unless the peloton gets splintered by winds as it did on stage one. French team Cofidis had to scramble Sunday morning as they had 11 bikes stolen from a team truck during the night.
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
The Seine closes for a day due to bad weather in Paris.
06:34 05/07/2025 Tour de France gets under way on home soil for first time in five years France 05/07/2025 Title contenders Pogacar, Vingegaard eye Yellow Jersey France 05/07/2025 French cognac brands sales to China fell 70% France 05/07/2025 Seine reopens to Paris swimmers after century-long ban France 05/07/2025 Pogacar and Vingegaard looking to repeat their victory at the Tour de France France 05/07/2025 Riders gear up for Tour de France 2025 opener in Lille France 05/07/2025 French police may be allowed to intercept boats offshore France 05/07/2025 2025 Tour de France sets off in Lille, with Tadej Pogacar a firm favourite France
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Philipsen wins nervy Tour de France opener as Evenepoel loses time
Philipsen took the yellow jersey in a frantic sprint finish at the northern city of Lille, while double Olympic champion Evenepoel was trapped in a second group and lost around 40 seconds. Race favourites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard both finished safely in the lead pack on a day marred by a series of falls. Africa's sole rider Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages in 2024, was second on the day as Philipsen got ahead of him with 100m to go. Around 40 riders in the first group contested the sprint where one of the day's many falls happened. Primoz Roglic of Red Bull and Team UAE's Joao Almeida were also caught in the surprise split in blustery winds. Fans packed the route in one of France's more modest regions passing First World War memorials, red-brick houses and slagheaps from long-closed coal mines along the Belgian border. Racing towards an intermediate sprint over cobbles, escapee Benjamin Thomas slid sideways and took out his sole rival Matteo Vercher in one spectacular fall and the pair were still bickering when the peloton shot past them. Former time-trial world champion Filippo Ganna was one rider who will take no further part after a clumsy fall on a corner. The Italian would have been a contender on the lengthy stage 5 individual time-trial, as well as key in the Ineos team's campaign to get veteran Geraint Thomas into the top 10 on his 14th and final Tour de France. Philipsen, in yellow, will lead the peloton out for Sunday's second stage, a hilly 209km route to the beaches of Boulogne-sur-mer.
