BRUSSELS – Reigning champion Alberto Contador was quick to play down the seriousness of a knock on his leg Sunday after being caught up in one of the many spills which marred the first stage of the Tour de France.
The 223.5km ride from Rotterdam to Brussels was a nervous affair which, particularly in a chaotic final few kilometers, saw a number of riders hit the tarmac.

Contador, who is the favorite to win the yellow jersey again this year, said his knock was nothing to worry about.

“Nothing that can’t be sorted with a little icing,” said the 27-year-old Astana rider, who has won the race in 2007 and 2009.

“There were a lot of crashes in the finale of the stage and I couldn’t avoid Fabian Cancellara who came down next to me.

“I fell into some riders who had already fallen, but I’ve come out of it more or less okay. I’ve got a big knock on my left leg, but it’s nothing serious.”

Cancellara, wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey, admitted earlier he had to brake hard to avoid a rider who crashed in front of him but was left flying over his bike and doing a somersault.

The Swiss, who rides for Saxo Bank, will take the race lead into Monday’s second stage from Brussels to Spa.

Contador meanwhile added his voices to those who complained about members of the public getting too close to the peloton for comfort.

“The amount of people lining the roads was among the main difficulties of the day,” he added.

“(David) Millar and (Ivan) Basso for example crashed because people were sitting on the road.”