Big crash during Tour de France takes down 20 riders — VIDEO

British rider Chris Froome took the Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey after finishing second behind Spanish veteran Joaquim Rodriguez in Monday’s crash-marred third stage, as a second straight day of chaos caused around 20 riders to fall and several to quit.

The crash happened with about 37 miles remaining, forcing the stage to be neutralized and then stopped altogether for nearly 20 minutes while organizers allowed those who fell to catch up.

With the race moving from neighboring Netherlands into Belgium, Stage 3 was 99 miles from Anvers to Huy. The stage featured four short and sharp climbs, but the crash took place before any of those when Frenchman William Bonnet went down and several riders tumbled around him.

All of the main Tour contenders avoided the crash except for Fabian Cancellara, who started the day in the yellow jersey and ended it in agony after being one of some 20 riders who fell.

Froome now leads German rider Tony Martin by one second and is 13 seconds ahead of American rider Tejay van Garderen, who is shaping up as a dangerous outsider.

Froome is 36 seconds clear of two-time champion Alberto Contador of Spain, 1:38 ahead of defending champion Vincenzo Nibali of Italy and 1:56 ahead of Nairo Quintana of Colombia, the Tour runner-up two years ago.

Following Monday’s crash, five riders had to withdraw from the race.

Cancellara was one of the last to go down, leaping into the air with his bike attached to him then landing with a thud, luckily on the grass, and skidding on his side. Cancellara got back on his bike and finished the stage but announced later Monday that he was withdrawing from the race after being diagnosed with fractures in two vertebrae in his lower back.