Dylan Groenewegen edges out Van Aert to win stage three of Tour de France

DISBELIEF: Stage winner Netherlands' Dylan Groenewegen crosses the finish line ahead of second placed Belgium's Wout Van Aert during the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182 kilometers (113 miles) with start in Vejle and finish in Sonderborg, Denmark. Pic: AP Photo/Daniel Cole

Dylan Groenewegen won stage three of the 2022 Tour de France from Vejle to Sønderborg, as the Tour’s exuberant sojourn in Denmark came to an end.

In another chaotic sprint finish, the teams of Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep), winner of stage two, and the overall Tour leader, Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) fought for supremacy, but neither were in full control of the sprint as the peloton closed on the line and Team BikeExchange Groenewegen’s speed edged him ahead of Van Aert.

Groenewegen’s journey back from his involvement in Jakobsen’s life-threatening crash in the Tour of Poland has been tortuous and he received death threats after being blamed for his rival’s injuries.

“It was a long way (back),” Groenewegen said. “I want to say thanks to my team, to my family and friends. It’s beautiful. Mentally but not physically it was hard (coming back). This is for my wife and my son.”

A mass crash with 10km to go split the field, but most of the major contenders, racing near the front of the peloton escaped unscathed.

On another day of racing characterised by a festival atmosphere among Danish fans, not much of note happened, beyond the local hero Magnus Cort (EF Education EasyPost) setting off on another lone sortie to clinch the lead of the King of the Mountains classification, before the convoy transferred to northern France.

Guardian