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Masked man holding a gun to the head got the race off to a bad start as you'll see later | 
Philippe Gilbert (Belgium / Team Lotto Soudal) at Stage 1 start in Blankenberge | 
No one can give us a straight look |
Marcus Burghardt (GER - Bora - Hansgrohe) initiating an early break | 
All it takes is one rider to hit the deck at the front on a narrow road... before the expected sprint finish after a "relaxed" stage to produce a mass pile up like this. Stage 1 Highlights (01:49 Ambient) — binckbanktour | 
Sorting out the carnage |
Oliver Naesen (Belgium / Team AG2R La Mondiale) was among the injured. As @Pflax1 reminded us, Cycling is the new golf. | 
Jasper PHILIPSEN (BEL/UAE TEAM EMIRATES) wins a depleted Stage 1 sprint in 2:59:26 ahead of 2nd now rainbowless Mads PEDERSEN (DEN/TREK - SEGAFREDO) and 3rd Pascal ACKERMANN (GER/BORA - HANSGROHE) | 
Oliver Naesen (Belgium / Team AG2R La Mondiale) got a push to the finish by multiple riders from other teams after the late crash with Dries De Bondt (Belgium / Team Alpecin - Fenix) doing the last arm push |
Stage 1 winner, Jasper PHILIPSEN (BEL/UAE TEAM EMIRATES): "It was easy... quite relaxed. Everybody knew there was going to be a bunch sprint today". That helps to explain the late crash. |
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