Primož Roglič didn't break any bones in Tour de France crash and 'can continue'

Primož Roglič lost time on stage three of the 2021 Tour de France after a crash in the final 10km - but will continue in the race.

Last year's runner-up came down after what looked like a touch of wheels in the bunch, veering off from the left-hand side of the peloton and onto the tarmac.

The Slovenian got back to his feet, surrounded by team-mates, with cuts to his thigh, arm and shoulder.

>>> Five talking points from stage three of the Tour de France 2021

Further details of his injuries are not yet known, but he began the chase back to the peloton in earnest, finding himself 1-20 in arrears with little over 8km remaining, half of the Jumbo-Visma squad dropping back to aid the pursuit.

After a kilometre and a half they'd closed 10 seconds before a number of other crashes erupted from the peloton in yet another hectic finale at this year's French Grand Tour.

By the time he crossed the finish line, Roglič had lost 55 seconds to the group containing Tadej Pogačar and Geraint Thomas, who themselves were 26 seconds down on stage winner Tim Merlier as the bunch fractured due to the crashes in the final kilometres.

Jumbo-Visma sports director Frans Maassen said at the end of the stage that Roglič was in a bad way and was being taken to hospital to have his tailbone checked.

Two hours after the stage finished, Roglič confirmed that his visit to the hospital had not revealed any broken bones.

"Luckily, I think everything is still in one piece so nothing is broken," the Slovenian said. 

"I’m all open all around but let’s say it was not the best day for us. But we go on. Still we can continue. 

"It was a super stressful final with all these roads. Not the best day for us but we continue.

"All I saw was guys laying on the ground. Mostly, it’s just s**t because everyone trains hard and nobody deserves to be on the floor and yeah. We’ll see. 

"First we have to get through the days and as long as we’re in the race we can always fight."

An hour before, Maassen sounded worried: "Roglič is not in good shape. Not good. I'm not a doctor, but he has a tailbone problem. Has now been taken to hospital for examination."

Earlier in the day, Geraint Thomas also came down in a crash, finding himself more than five minutes behind and clutching his shoulder, but recovering enough to get himself back in the bunch. Details on his exact ailments are also yet to be revealed.

Of the GC contenders, Richard Carpaz now has eight seconds on Tadej Pogačar, with Geraint Thomas a further 28 seconds back. Then Roglič is a further 28 seconds behind the Welshman, more than a minute in arrears to his team-mate Carapaz.