Wednesday, 4 July 2012:

Brad Wiggins' perfect Tour de France campaign has suffered its first setback, with lieutenant Kanstantin Sivtsov crashing out of the race.

The Belarusian allrounder became the first rider to abandon this year's Tour, a victim of the chaotic third stage from Orchies to the northern France coastal city of Boulogne-sur-Mer on Tuesday.

Australian road champion Simon Gerrans suffered cuts to his arm when he was briefly tangled in a barbed wire fence after a separate crash.

Unlike Sivtsov, Gerrans was not seriously hurt and he will continue in the Tour.

Sivtsov's crash means Wiggins, the title favourite, will have one less "domestique" on the Sky team when he duels with defending champion Cadel Evans through the mountain stages.

But Sky manager Dave Brailsford rightly remains upbeat, given Wiggins' superb form this season and the strength of the team.

"It's a setback, but not a devastating setback," Brailsford said.

"He's a very good climber so he can do that first part in the key mountain stages.

"But to be honest the climbing department, as it were, is probably where we're at our strongest.

"It's like boxing - as long as you've still got your gloves on and you're fighting you can knock the other fella out."

Before last year's title, Evans had often suffered at the Tour for a lack of team helpers.

So he knows better than most how Sivtsov's withdrawal could hurt Wiggins.

"You need to be firing on all cylinders in this race and to be one man down, it's not an advantage, that's for sure," Evans said.

"I've been many guys down on certain occasions.

"Nine is better than eight."

But Evans' BMC team did not escape the stage unscathed, either.

Belgian Philippe Gilbert, who hoped to challenge for the stage win, suffered minor injuries in a crash and finished nearly eight minutes behind Peter Sagan.

Gerrans was more than 10 minutes behind the stage winner.

The Australian ended up tangled in a roadside fence after he somersaulted over Spaniard Jose Rojas, who is also out of the Tour because of his fall.

It was frighteningly reminiscent of Dutchman Johnny Hoogerland, who suffered horrific cuts to his lower body in last year's Tour when an errant television car sent him flying into a barbed wire fence.

Gerrans was in good spirits when he spoke to the media after finishing.

"I was caught up in the barbed fence, my arm was stuck in there, and I couldn't get my arm out until someone else hit the barbed wire and gave it a rattle," he said.

"There are only a couple of scratches - I look like I've been attacked by a wild cat, I will be OK."

AAP