{"id":195868,"date":"2024-06-07T10:12:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T10:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=195868"},"modified":"2024-06-07T10:12:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T10:12:30","slug":"its-time-to-take-extreme-measures-to-prevent-mass-crashes-in-road-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2024\/06\/07\/its-time-to-take-extreme-measures-to-prevent-mass-crashes-in-road-racing\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Time to Take Extreme Measures to Prevent Mass Crashes in Road Racing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another big road race. Another mass crash. More injuries, more riders forced to abandon a race, more riders forced to sit out the Tour de France. And another stage that had to be neutralized because all the available ambulances were taking the injured to local hospitals. As Remco Evenepoel put it, \u201cIt\u2019s again quite a dark day for cycling.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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With a little more than 20km left to ride in Thursday\u2019s stage 5 of the Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9, as the peloton was chasing a three-man breakaway, more than two dozen riders crashed heavily on a flat, straight, harmless-looking stretch of road that had been made slippery as ice by rain. Wisely, organizers wasted little time in annulling the rest of the stage. [See the crash HERE<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened, I think, guys in fifth, sixth position started to touch the wheel and just slid away, and after that it was like bowling,” Evenepoel told journalists. \u201cI just went like a front-flip and landed on my head and shoulder. A pretty big bang but nothing too special.\u201d He was fortunate, as was the other co-favorite for the race, Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d (BORA-hansgrohe)<\/a>, who also hit the pavement. Both are staying in the race.<\/p>\n

The Slovenian was also upset after the incident. “I crashed on my shoulder, it’s not the best; it’s the side I had surgery on a few years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to check it and see what kind of a state it is in. For me definitely a lot better than some of the guys. I still rode over the finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenepoel and Rogli\u010d are just coming back to racing after recovering from injuries sustained in this season\u2019s other disastrous mass crash, in the Itzulia Basque Country.<\/a> The Belgian reigning world time trial champion broke his collarbone and scapula in that incident and Rogli\u010d came away with a knee injury. Evenepoel currently leads the Slovenian by a scant 33 seconds in the GC standings, with Visma\u2013Lease a Bike\u2019s Matteo Jorgenson sitting third, at 1:04.<\/p>\n

While the three leaders came away unscathed from the crash, Jorgenson\u2019s team suffered another serious blow to its Tour de France hopes as Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk, important support riders for defending Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, had to abandon the Dauphin\u00e9 and will be unable to ride in the Tour, which starts in three weeks.<\/p>\n

Visma\u2013Lease a Bike posted the following statement<\/a> on X: “Following the big crash today, Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk were taken to the hospital. Examinations revealed that Dylan has fractured his collarbone and will need surgery. Steven has a small fracture in his hip that will heal with rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 #Dauphin\u00e9<\/a> <\/p>\n

Following the big crash today, Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk were taken to the hospital. Examinations revealed that Dylan has fractured his collarbone and will need surgery. Steven has a small fracture in his hip that will heal with rest. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re very\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/BNXwNEVxXu<\/a><\/p>\n

— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n