William Bonnet will require surgery on a fractured cervical vertebra in his neck after crashing on stage three of the Tour de France on Monday.

The FDJ.fr rider clipped the wheel in front of him on the stage from Antwerp to Huy, with his fall in the middle of the peloton causing a huge pile-up that saw many suffer injuries.

Bonnet was one of five riders to withdraw from the race following the incident, and his team have provided a concerning update on the severity of his injuries.

 "Initially, the first news we received from Dr Gerard Guillaume was reassuring. [They said] William had suffered a head injury without the loss of consciousness, and a neck trauma without neurological consequences," read a team statement.

"Then, Dr Gerard Guillaume and Marc Madiot went to meet him after the finish. 

"The news was not great because the tests revealed a multi-fragmented fracture of the second cervical vertebra. This fracture requires prompt surgical treatment to stabilise the neck and prevent neurological accordingly. 

"He will be transferred quickly to Paris and a neurosurgery department. Dr Guillaume said the fracture was not in itself serious nature, it is indeed a stabilisation intervention and therefore prevention of major risks."

Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) was forced to withdraw with a dislocated shoulder, while Katusha's Dmitry Kozontchuk fractured his left shoulder blade and collarbone.

Meanwhile, Orica-GreenEdge lost two of their riders as Simon Gerrans (wrist) and Daryl Impey (collarbone) were both taken to hospital.