🎥 Horrible crash leads to a neutralisation at Tour de l'Avenir stage 2

The second stage of the Tour de l'Avenir was neutralized for a time on Friday. The U23 race in France was disrupted by a massive crash involving a large number of riders. Just as with the crash in the Renewi Tour on Thursday, all medical personnel were needed, causing the race to continue in neutralized form. Keije Solen ultimately won the stage.

Footage of the crash showed that a ripple effect in the peloton triggered the crash. At first, riders on the left fell onto the shoulder, but it soon became clear that half the peloton had been affected—or at least slowed down. The riders who were able to continue were stopped by race officials shortly thereafter.

In the end, the race was halted for about 15 minutes before the starting signal was given again 35 kilometers from the finish. However, it was announced that the times for the general classification would be recorded 10 kilometers from the finish. Ashlin Barry and Matisse Van Kerckhove Matisse were reportedly among those who had fallen behind on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike.

After the stage resumed, Lotto-Groupe Wanty took the lead, and it turned out to be for good reason. Together with the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies, the Belgian team had plans for a sprint, so attackers were unable to break away—whether immediately after the race resumed or deep into the final stretch.

We saw a sprint finish by a small group, as many general classification contenders dropped back once the 10-kilometer mark was reached and the clock was stopped. Because of this, the sprinter teams had plenty of room to get their trains on track before Solen finished the job. His teammate Niels Driesen won Stage 1 and remains the leader in the general classification.