Stage 3 of the 2024 Tour Down Under saw a number of riders get introduced to tarmac for the first time this season. One of these was Groupama - FDJ's Rudy Molard.
Sadly for the 34-year-old, his involvement in the race was brought to a screeching halt on stage 3 after getting caught up in a crash. Molard was rushed to hospital to get checked over, although thankfully was still able to give his fans a quick update via his official Instagram account.
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"Could have been worse!" says a visibly battered, bruised and bloodied, yet still optimistic Molard on his social media post. "All good just need time."
“Rudy was our man for the general classification, and we will have to reorganize ourselves on that point,” said Groupama - FDJ's sports director, Jussi Veikkanen to the team's website post-stage. “I hope he is ok and that he has a fast recovery."
“He suffers from a concussion with multiple and significant wounds, but no fracture has been detected," added team doctor, Jacky Maillot. "He will remain at least 24 hours under observation.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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