Froome survives crash, Kittel wins second stage
Defending champion Froome was brought down when a Katusha rider lost his balance in front of him some 30km from the finish
LIEGE: Chris Froome got a brutal reminder of the unpredictable nature of the Tour de France when he crashed to the ground in Sunday’s second stage, recovering to finish with torn shorts as German Marcel Kittel powered to victory at the end of a huge sprint.
After being faster than his rivals in Saturday’s opening time trial, and while he was sitting comfortably near the front of the peloton, defending champion Froome was brought down when a Katusha rider lost his balance in front of him some 30km from the finish.
Last year’s runner-up Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) was also involved in the pile-up but the Frenchman and three-time cham- pion Froome made it back to the main pack after a brief chase.
Froome’s Sky teammate Geraint Thomas retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey at the end of the 203.5-km ride from Duesseldorf in Germany, ahead of Swiss Stefan Kueng (BMC Racing) and Kittel.
“When that happens (a crash in the front) there’s nowhere to go,” said Thomas. “There is no real damage at all, he lost a bit of skin, but it’s all good. You’ve got to be super lucky to miss it and avoid it.”
Breakaway riders American Taylor Phinney (Cannondale- Drapac), nearing his best after a serious leg injury in 2014, and Frenchman Yoann Offredo (Wanty-Group Gobert), were given some breathing space as the pileup slowed down the peloton.