It’s a cruel sport in many ways, cycling, but never more visibly so than in the opening week of the Tour de France. Regardless of the year, or the width of the roads they ride, or the presence (or not) of fans on the roadside, there is always at least one rider who finds his race cut short before it has really begun. What stands out this year is how many riders have been sent home by fate and happenstance; how many thousands of training miles have gone effectively to waste.