🎥 Massive crash disrupts opening stage in China: Visma | Lease a Bike with several riders on the ground, UAE hit hard
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GooglePaul Magnier (Soudal-Quick Step) won the first stage of the Tour of Guangxi, but the stage was disrupted by a massive crash in the run-up to the sprint. Riders crashed hard across the entire width of the road on Chinese soil. We'll assess the damage once the information is available.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the last stretch, a rider from UAE Emirates-XRG fell at the front of the peloton. He hooked onto the wheel of his teammate and took riders from Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Lidl-Trek, Lotto (two), Visma | Lease a Bike, Intermarché-Wanty, Groupama-FDJ, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Bahrain Victorious, and Israel-Premier Tech.
The shock effect on the left side of the peloton had consequences that extended to the other side of the road. There, we saw jerseys from Arkéa, Visma, and Groupama sliding across the asphalt. Only a select group remained in front and was able to sprint for the stage victory. Magnier was too strong for Max Kanter (XDS Astana) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).
Read more below the video!
Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates-XRG suffer damage after crash in China
Visma | Lease a Bike announced in a press release that Niklas Behrens and Dan McLay fell during the final phase. “Luckily, both riders are okay,” said sports director Jesper Mørkøv. Paul Penhoët and Lewis Bower were involved for Groupama-FDJ, while Rui Oliveira was the first UAE rider to crash, based on the final results.
This was confirmed by UAE Emirates-XRG, which spoke of “multiple abrasions on the left side and back” in a short statement. The Portuguese rider, who was ridden by his brother Ivo, will be able to continue in the race on Wednesday. But the injuries shown on Instagram do raise doubts... Because the crash occurred in the last 3 kilometers, they were given the same time as the winner.
Read more below the photo and video!
Who else crashed in the first stage of the Tour of Guangxi?
The last riders to cross the finish line included Simone Consonni (Lidl-Trek), Nadav Raisberg (Israel-Premier Tech), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Luca Mozzato (Arkéa), Arne Marit (Intermarché), and Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon). Lars Craps, Steffen De Schuyteneer, Liam Slock (Lotto), Nicolas Debeaumarché (Cofidis), Gijs Van Hoecke (Intermarché), and Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa) were also among them.
Read also
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Sir Chris Hoy shares an update about living with stage four cancer: 'I'm doing pretty well really'
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Primoz Roglic's contract options continue to shrink, but a surprise new team enters the conversation
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage as Pinarello-Q36.5 put three riders in top five and Roglič attacks
Tom Pidcock ends 2026 fifth in the world, with Ciccone and Hayter arriving at Pinarello for 2027
Popular Cycling News
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Disqualified Schreiber skips European Championship podium: 'I’m very grateful that she said that'
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
