Cervelo Test Team's Thor Hushovd blamed the crash on the final bend in Brignoles for ruining the team's plan to hijack Colombia and grab the stage win.
Specialist sprinter Hushovd was among the contenders for Sunday's stage until the crash, and he said: "We had our strategy for the sprint to come from behind the Columbia train. They were very strong again today and we decided to wait until the final kilometres.
"There was a crash and we lost each other. Some of us went left, others had to brake. The crash lost us everything in the end.
"Tomorrow is another day and we will try. It's very warm, but it was OK for me," the Norwegian added. "I prefer when it's 15C cooler, but I had to fight through it."
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