Monday, 5th July, 2010
Stage was homage to legend Eddy Merckx
 
It rained cats and dogs during the prologue in Rotterdam on Saturday. On Sunday, on the first road stage of the Tour de France the riders enjoyed splendid weather but it was raining crashes.
 
We all expected a mass sprint but the finale was a real massacre.One of the big gun sprinters, Mark Cavendish, didn't even get the chance to show his nice new white teeth as he crashed out in the last 3km.
Cav took Oscar Freire with him on his way out and the tough finish gave Alessandro Petacchi the opportunity to put his hands in the air for the victory once again, seven years after his last stage win at the Grand Boucle.
 
Fabian Cancellara, the yellow jersey, was taken down as well but as they all started hitting the deck in the last 3 km no time losses were registered.
 
A very unfortunate Adam Hansen crashed earlier in the stage but he bravely made his way to the finish. I am sorry he has been forced out of the Tour with a broken collarbone, I would have liked to see him doing his thing for the HTC-Columbia team later on. His absence will surely be felt.

Just as I arrived in Brussels, I saw Belgian legend Eddy Merckx being greeted by the other King, Albert II of Belgium. This stage was truly a homage to the biggest cyclist in history.

It was Merckx who said: “to win in Brussels is prestigious and the winner Petacchi deserves the honour as he is a great bike rider.” I agree totally.

Everyone in the peloton knows the riders only have themselves to blame for the crashes.The whole stage was ridden nervously and it made for dangerous situations.
Crashes in sprint finishes are part and parcel of the Tour, everyone is eager to pull off a win and the public which was out in mass only added to the incredible hype.
 
An estimated one million people lined the roads once the Tour de France entered Belgium and in this already cycling mad country the popularity of the sport is still growing. What I saw were hallucinating images really, absolutely fantastic.
 
For today's stage, I expect the GC riders, the climbers and the Ardenne Classic riders to take control. These guys have to keep a good position in the last 50km.
It is not a stage where you can take a lot of time but the possibility of losing time to your rivals constantly looms.
There will be a lot of anxious riders and teams fighting for position on the narrow roads through the Belgian Ardennes.Should be a great stage to watch!

Aussie Simon Gerrans has a good show for a stage win in Spa and Cancellara should remain in yellow, but he'll have to work hard for it.

* Scott Sunderland was national road champion at 19 before going to Europe to forge a professional career. Since hanging up his bike he's been involved in team management at CSC, the forerunner to Saxo Bank, Cervelo Test Team and the News Corporation-backed Team Sky.