Jasper Philipsen was knocked over by Frenchman Bryan Coquard and landed heavily on his right side. The Stage 1 winner abandoned and was taken to hospital.

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.

The early stages of the Tour de France have been marred by crashes, forcing top riders, including sprint leader Jasper Philipsen, to withdraw. The Belgian has undergone successful surgery on his broken collarbone,