New Zealand cyclist George Bennett has been amongst those to fall in a wet, crash-marred opening stage of the Tour de France.
George Bennett crosses the finish line after falling during the opening stage Photo: AFP
Bennett crashed twice in the final 30 kilometres but managed to finish the stage in Nice.
His Jumbo-Visma team says the damage isn't too bad for any of its riders who fell.
Norwegian Alexander Kristoff eventually won the stage in a bunch sprint to pull on the first yellow jersey of the Tour.
Kristoff outsprinted Danish world champion Mads Pedersen after 156km around Nice.
Colombian Nairo Quintana, twice a Tour runner-up, was amongst those to fall, while Pavel Sivakov, one of defending champion Egan Bernal's key lieutenants, hit the ground twice like Bennett.
Pre-stage favourites Sam Bennett of Ireland, Australian Caleb Ewan and Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy also crashed on slippery roads as rain wreaked havoc during the stage.
"There must have been 100 riders crashing. Everyone struggles, everyone got scared," French rider Valentin Madouas said.
"It was like an ice rink."
Alexander Kristoff celebrates winning the opening stage Photo: AFP
The multiple incidents had prompted the Jumbo Visma team to ask the peloton to take it slow in a descent but Astana refused to take the foot off the gas pedal.
Their decision backfired, however, as their team leader Miguel Angel Lopez aquaplaned head first into a road sign.
The Colombian got back on his bike.
The race started in front of scarce crowds in central Nice amid fears of a coronavirus second wave as the number of daily cases has been rising within France at an alarming rate in recent weeks.
Riders and their staff are part of a race bubble in order to minimise risks of infections and French health authorities on Saturday imposed stricter regulations in the event of coronavirus cases.
They ruled that a team should be withdrawn if two or more of its members -- including riders and support staff -- tested positive within seven days, race organisers said on Saturday.
Riders, however, put on a brave face.
"I think nobody imagined 2020 to be like this. But we have to go through this for the good of everyone and the fact that the Tour is starting is already a good thing," triple world champion Peter Sagan told reporters.
- RNZ/Reuters
