Van Aert second again as Groenewegen wins Tour de France Stage 3 in a photo finish

Mathew Mitchell

Published on July 3, 2022
in Men's Cycling

For the third day in a row, Wout van Aert finished second. It means another day in the yellow jersey for the Dutch rider but that’s scant reward for a rider desperate to win. Van Aert also regained the lead in the green jersey, ahead of Fabio Jakobsen who was quiet in the sprint today.

It was Dylan Groenewegen who took his 5th Tour de France win today in a super tight finish on the line with Wout van Aert. With Van Aert battling with Peter Sagan, Dylan was able to time his pass of the pair to perfection to sneak the victory for BikeExchange-Jayco’s first win of this year’s Tour de France.

“I took a lot of wind and my legs were tired but I still had enough to sprint to the line. Wout van Aert always jokes, saying that if you are not sure of having won, you still claim the victory and you celebrate. That’s what I did (and) I understood I won from the sport directors screaming in the car.
My family supported me greatly after what happened. My new team has put a lot of faith in me and a great train to lead me out. Every victory at the Tour de France is special.”
Dylan Groenewegen

There was a symmetry with Fabio Jakobsen’s win yesterday. Groenewegen was seen as the reason for the big crash at the Tour of Poland that almost finished his fellow Dutch rider’s career. Although Groenewegen was remorseful over the incident, he was banned from cycling for 9 months by the UCI.

It had been an eventful run-in for Groenewegen. He’d been involved in a crash with 9km to go and had to close the gap to a peloton being led by the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team.

Peter Sagan was visibly angry with Wout van Aert as they crossed the line, wagging a finger in the direction of the Dutch rider. He felt that Van Aert had squeezed him close to the barriers as the pair went shoulder to shoulder.

Thanks to the time bonuses on the line, Van Aert extended his lead over Yves Lampaert to 7 seconds and is now 14 seconds ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogacar. Primoz Roglic is 9 seconds further behind as the GC battle takes its early steps.

“It’s been quiet for me today, even though flat stages are always nervous and can be dangerous. I wasn’t affected by the crash in the finale. The first three days have gone well.”
Tadej Pogacar

Eddy Merckx - Legends Of The Tour De France (2 Disc) [DVD]