Today a sprinter was expected to raise his arms in the Tour de France and for Nacer Bouhanni it was the first real opportunity to shine. This morning it was clear that Cofidis would do everything to get a bunch sprint. 

Butafter two riders with Nicolas Edet had escaped, a big crash at the 10km mark brought down 5 riders from the team: Luis Angel Mate, Daniel Navarro, Kenneth Vanbilsen, Florian Senechal and Bouhanni. The former four were able to continue but Bouhanni remained on the ground for a long time before being evacuated to the hospital in Arras. Luckily the examoinations showed no fracture but injuries to the wrist, hip and shoulder. The series of bad luck continued after his crashes at the French championships and in the stage to Zeeland.

"At km 10 I crashed at 50km/h on a descent," he said. "I fell in the middle of the road. I fell on my side, but luckily there are no fractures. I'm just very very disappointed, especially disappointed for my teammates who have worked so hard for me since the beginning of the season and the start of the Tour. I'm going to rest because there is still a second part of the season.

"I had not crashed once this year and to have crashed three times in ten days is bad luck. I am not just sorry for himself. I have to raise my head and look forward.  And I wish the best to my teammates. The Tour is still long."

Manager Yvon Sanquer appreciated the reaction from his riders: "I remember to have seen that Christophe [Laporte] and Florian prepared the sprint for Geoffrey [Soupe] and he was up there [in 11th]. This is proof that we have not given up."

Echelons split the peloton. Set back by the crash, Mate and Navarro found themselves in the second group with Julien Simon and Edet. They finish 14 minutes behind the winner.

In the first group, Senechal and Laporte did the lead-out for Soupe who finished 11th.