Adelaide, Australia  - A crash Thursday midway through the third stage of the Tour Down Under dashed the hopes of German sprinter Andre Greipel, making it two in a row in the Australian classic.

The Rostock-born Columbia Team rider withdrew from the 802-kilometre event after being taken to an Adelaide hospital and being diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder.

Cycling great Lance Armstrong was not involved in the pile-up and was in with a chance of winning the 136-kilometre stage after almost half the 133 riders that started Tuesday trailed the leading group by seven minutes.

The Tour Down Under is unique in the 15-event ProTour calendar with all nights spent in Adelaide and riders driven to the start of each outlying stage.

It's a gentle reintroduction to the rigours of road racing for Armstrong, who has chosen the season opener after coming out of retirement in September.

The Tour Down Under, mostly over flat countryside and with stages averaging just 133 kilometres, is a world away from the savage climbs and 200-kilometre-plus stages that the seven-time Tour de France winner is used to. (dpa)