The images are terrible: Jonas Vingegaard, the double winner of the Tour de France, evacuated on a stretcher, his neck immobilized by a neck brace and placed on respiratory assistance.
A few moments earlier, a spectacular fall occurred during the 4e stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, Thursday April 4. 30 kilometers from the finish, in Legutio, several riders found themselves on the ground, including Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenpoel, and Jonas Vingegaard, three favorites designated for the next edition of the Grande Boucle.
Vingegaard is the most seriously affected, but he is ” aware ” and go ” taking exams “, announced his team, Visma-Lease a Bike, a little later on the social network The first appeared to be hit in the collarbone. The second, on the other hand, reassured about his condition from his team’s car, the Bora-Hansgrohe, giving a thumbs up despite a scratched face.
Australian Jay Vine, who remained motionless on the ground for a long time, was also treated on the side of the road. He was evacuated by ambulance, conscious. Other runners were also taken to hospital.
A step that will not count for the general
The organizers neutralized the race for the peloton. The six escaped men will fight to win a stage, which will not count for the general classification, they specified. Before the departure of this 4e day, the yellow jersey was on the shoulders of Primoz Roglic.
The accident took place on a downhill bend. Several riders skidded towards the shoulder and hit stone blocks and a concrete drain.
This fall comes on top of a series of dramatic crashes this spring in cycling races. Last week, Wout Van Aert paid the price in Across Flanders. The Belgian suffered burns to his back and especially fractures to his collarbone, ribs and sternum, which prevented him from taking the start of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix (which will take place on Sunday), his main objectives at the start of the season.
On Wednesday, Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso had already been caught in a relatively violent fall during the Tour of the Basque Country, but they resumed the race.