 The first major action of the race occurred as the riders approached the first ascent of the Mur de Huy . Dan Martin , one of the favourites for the race , touched wheels with Tiago Machado ( Katusha ) and both riders crashed . Martin returned to his bike and chased back to the peloton with the help of several teammates , but later withdrew . He had hit his head in the crash and wished to recover ahead of the Liège – Bastogne – Liège the following weekend . Several other riders were caught up or delayed , including Chris Froome . At the top of the first ascent of the Mur , the breakaway 's lead had been cut to under six minutes . 
