Paul Lapeira continues in the Tour de France with cracked ribs. The leader refuses to let up.

"As a result of the accident, Paul Lapeira suffered numerous abrasions and two fractured ribs. The results in the general classification have been frozen. Paul will therefore retain the leader's jersey and will start the fourth stage tomorrow," the French team wrote on the X platform.

The stage around Wałbrzych was interrupted for about 15 minutes at the end and the stewards ordered neutralisation, meaning that the results in the general classification remained unchanged.

The cause was a crash 22 km from the finish line, descending from the Walim Pass. Several riders were injured, including Lapeira, Rafał Majka, Michał Kwiatkowski, and Czech Mathias Vacek, who finished second overall.

Despite his injury, Lapeira reached the finish line, while Vacek withdrew from the race.

The stage was won by Briton Ben Turner, led by Kwiatkowski, after a short-stacked finish.

Thursday will see the 201.4 km section from Rybnik to Cieszyn. This could be the final opportunity for sprinters to show off their skills, although halfway through the route there's a challenging climb to the Salmopolska Pass. (PAP)

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Source of information: Polish Press Agency