The early stages of the Tour de France have been marred by crashes, forcing top riders, including sprint leader Jasper Philipsen, to withdraw. Despite safety measures introduced by cycling's governing body,

A three-week Grand Tour will always contain natural ebbs and flows, and, for much of Monday’s stage between Valenciennes and Dunkirk, it looked as if the peloton had declared an unofficial rest day, with the riders happy to cruise back towards the coast after a weekend of wind, rain and intensity.