Photo Courtesy: Doug Pensinger

After a record-breaking individual time trial in stage 1 through Utrecht, and following some quickly shifting weather across Holland in stage 2 en route to a sprint finish in Zelande, comes the first dose of heavy carnage in the 102nd Tour de France– this massive high-speed pile-up in stage 3 to the Belgian town of Huy, big enough to halt the entire race for almost 20 minutes!

The first three days down and the first seven riders out, including today’s yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancellara who did valiantly finish the stage, comes in advance of tomorrow’s treacherous cobbles– not to mention French soil.  Altogether, this day clearly beckons that annually uttered classic phrase: “C’est Le Tour.”

Watch the crash video here.