Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen has had successful surgery after breaking a collarbone during the crash-marred third stage of the Tour de France.

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,

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.