Madrid Spain – The Dane Jonas Vingegaard was the big loser this Thursday, April 4, in the fall that marked the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, in which the other great favorites Primoz Roglič, until now the leader, and Remco were also involved. Evenepoel.
First modification: Last modification:
3 min
The three main favorites for the final victory and also the Tour de France have had to abandon after falling along with several other riders in a curve about 33 km from the Legutio finish line.
While Roglič and Evenepoel were able to get up, Vingegaard was the worst off, lying for a few minutes on the ground on his side in a safe position.
The Danish runner was later evacuated by ambulance, immobilized, with a breathing apparatus and a collar around his neck, according to television images.
“Jonas (Vingegaard) is conscious and will be examined in hospital now,” his Visma/Lease team informed Bike in a statement on their social networks.
His competitor Evenepoel abandoned the race, as confirmed by his team, and Roglič, who got up limping, also left this edition of the Basque round.
Some images on social networks from the Tour of the Basque Country showed the Slovenian runner in a car making an OK sign with his thumbs up.
#Itzulia2024 | 📺🚴🏻♂️💥😭😢 THE EXACT INSTANT OF THE SERIOUS FALL in stage 4️⃣ of the Tour of the Basque Country. The LEADER💛 Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel among those affected. Apparently the THREE RUNNERS RETIRED😱😭💥🙏🏻pic.twitter.com/YYXobV8rGw
— Cycling World (@mundociclistico) April 4, 2024
Roglič, the leader of the race until now, had already suffered another heavy fall on Wednesday, which had not prevented him from finishing the third stage despite suffering several bruises and bruises.
Another runner, Australian Jay Vine, also stayed on the ground for quite some time this Thursday before being treated and evacuated to a hospital, as announced by his team.
The fall occurred on the descent from Alto de Olaeta, where several runners who were chasing the day's escapees entered a curve too quickly, several of them falling to the ground.
Race neutralized
The race was stopped after the serious event while waiting for the doctors who were treating those affected to return, but given the impossibility of the doctors being able to return with the peloton, the race management decided to practically suspend the stage.
The riders of the peloton continued riding to the finish line in a neutralized manner and only the six escapees of the day competed for the stage victory, according to a decision by the race management, which also decreed that the stage times would not count for the general classification. .
The six runners who escaped in the lead, including the Spaniards Joseba López and Mikel Retegi and the Frenchman Mathieu Burgaudeau, covered the last 20 km of the stage in competition.
With 10 km to go, South African Louis Meintjes (Intermarché) escaped to end up crossing the finish line alone to take his second victory in a WorldTour race.
The fall and abandonment of the favorites has changed the general classification, of which the Danish Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl Trek) is the new leader with 4 seconds of advantage over the Spanish Juan Ayuso (UAE).
The serious mishap of the day generated various reactions in the peloton.
“The road was very distorted in that section and we arrived a little too fast. Nothing could be done, I don't think it's anyone's fault,” said Skjelmose.
Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard's teammate and winner of the last Vuelta a España, said that the images of what happened were “difficult to see.”
On Friday, the fifth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country will take place, 175.9 km, between Vitoria and Amorebieta with a first category stop and two third category stops.
#Vingegaard #takes #brunt #hard #fall #Tour #Basque #Country