Mark Cavendish's first chance for a 35th stage win came to an end on stage 3 of the Tour de France in Turin when a high-speed crash in the peloton forced him to hit the brakes with 2km to go.

Riders from Israel Premier Tech and Cofidis fell, leaving the lead group of Cavendish and Astana Kazakstan stranded behind them. Davide Ballerini sprinted ahead of his teammates and finished a frustrating 8th place.

"That crash ruined my chances," Cavendish said after boarding the team bus, admitting that his chances were limited due to poor positioning.

"It wasn't just me, but I was lucky to stay up there. I could see and hear what was happening. I was too small to see what was happening in the crash, but I could hear it. When I hit the brakes full throttle, I could see people ahead of me."

"Now [with disc brakes], instead of thinking you're going to hit someone, you wait for someone to hit you from behind. But with 2.5 km to go, I've fallen far behind.

Wout Van Aert and Christophe Laporte (Vimalise-a-Bike), Jake Stewart and Guillaume Boivin (Israel Premier Tech), Magnus Kort and Soren Wehrenskjold (Uno-X Mobility). (Uno-X Mobility) and others crashed. Casper Pedersen crashed at speed with 15 km to go and suffered a broken collarbone, which forced him to abandon the Tour despite finishing the stage.

As part of a new safety initiative, the three-kilometer rule was extended to a five-kilometer rule on Monday, so riders who were involved in or delayed by a crash with 2.2 kilometers to go were given the same time as stage winner Biniam Girmay.

Cavendish was concerned for his fellow competitors.

"I think everyone is okay. I don't think anyone is seriously hurt. I saw Jasper [Philipsen] and he was fine."

He was also really happy for Gil May, who grew up wanting to be a rider like Cavendish and took his first stage win at the Tour de France.

"It's great. Cycling is thriving in Eritrea. It's great for him and for African cycling. He's a legend."

Cavendish stopped to change front and rear wheels with 80km to go. It seemed to be a sign that he wanted less aerodynamic wheels and perhaps faster tires for the sprint. Astana later claimed to have suffered two punctures, but it was also a sign of confidence for the sprint.

"I'm always a bit of a mess with the bike," Cavendish said. I'm always a bit of a mess with the bike," Cavendish said. I've always been a bit of a bike mess," Cavendish said.