Tour de France Stage 6: If You Want to Start, You Have to Finish

With less than a kilometer to go Tony Martin (Etixx-Quickstep) caught the rear wheel of Bryan Coquard (Europcar) falling into a rider for Giant-Alpecin which knocked over Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).  The chain reaction fall took out a number of others both GC riders and their teammates.  Judging by how gingerly Martin held his left arm as he was put back on the bike by his mechanic.  I am guessing that he suffered a broken collar bone in his hard fall to the asphalt.  As his teammates waited to pace him across the finish line, the vulture like photographers gathered around the clearly suffering Maillot Jaune.  There is a very simple rule in the Tour de France, if you do not finish a stage, you may not start the next stage.  You Tour is over.  With this in mind, the team mechanic held both Martin and his bike while the German struggle to get on without using his left arm.  The one advantage is another Tour de France rule.  If there is a crash within the final three kilometers all of those that went down, or were caught behind the wreck, will be given the same time as those that they were riding with at the time of the crash.  So for now, assuming he can ride his bike 750 meters to the finishing line, Tony Martin's Yellow Jersey is safe until tomorrow.

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