The Tour de France has started, and this year the race has opened with a bang — literally. After just three stages the peloton is licking its wounds after multiple costly crashes that have sent more than a few pre-race favorites to the tarmac.

On this first of 12 Tour de Franc podcast episodes, we examine the impact of those crashes on every element of the race, from the GC battle, to the stage winners. Why are riders crashing this year? What impact did the major pileup on stage 1 have on the race's global reputation? We get into it.

Then, we hear from former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski, who is one of the stars of the Tour de France for Team Ineos Grenadiers. Kwiatkowski discusses the crashes and carnage, and offers his opinions on how the race could alleviate the early tensions.

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