Stage three of the 2015 Tour de France was packed with its ups and downs, with a bad crash causing the stage to be halted, before Joaquim Rodriguez lit up the Mur de Huy.

Chris Froome also had cause for celebration, winning the yellow jersey thanks to his second place, but the man he replaced in the maillot jaune was among those to suffer in the high-speed pile-up.

Fabian Cancellara roared into the yellow jersey at the end of stage two, but any hopes he had of defending it were obliterated when he hit the deck hard and emerged, dazed and very sore, with the race lead the least of his priorities.

Spartacus rode on to the finish, while others were not so lucky – four riders abandoning in all.

Cycling can be an unpredictable, cruel and brutal beast – relive the stage in photos below.