🎥 'A fan gave me a small push': Romo closes gap to Seixas only to be crashed by a fan

Paul Seixas claimed his third stage victory in the Tour of the Basque Country, but it did not come easily. Florian Lipowitz was able to stay with him in the fifth stage, but there was briefly a third dog in the fight. Javier Romo was incredibly strong on the decisive climb, but crashed just before the summit in remarkable fashion. It has now emerged that a spectator was the cause.

When Seixas accelerates, nobody can follow: that had been the story of the Tour of the Basque Country so far. On Friday it was different, as Lipowitz put him under pressure. While the pair had ridden clear, Romo suddenly appeared from behind. He rode away from the chasers and impressively bridged the gap to the two top favourites. But a three-way battle never materialised, because he crashed.

He was a little surprised by his own good legs. 'I didn't expect it either,' he told Cycling Pro Net. 'I saw they were catchable, and I believed I could come back.' A hundred metres before the summit, it went wrong. 'I got back before the top, but a fan, no doubt with good intentions, gave me a small push. It knocked me off balance, and I came into contact with Lipowitz. I fell, and then it's over.'

He got back on quickly, but could not return in the descent. He was then joined by Primož Roglič, but the pair were eventually caught by a larger group. 'They kept getting closer from behind, and I eventually had to give up the chase. After that we were all trying to finish third.' The Spaniard from Movistar still won that battle impressively: once again he rode away, and he crossed the line a minute behind the winner.

Without that crash he would undoubtedly have competed for the victory, but despite the disappointment a very satisfied Romo stood before the microphone. 'I am very happy, because above all I am discovering myself. We came here with Cian (Uijtdebroeks, ed.) as leader, and I was able to stay with him. Today I felt fantastic.'

Should he then be written down for the final stage? It will be difficult for him, as the weather in the Basque Country is set to be soaking wet. 'To be honest, I don't really like rain. It's not something I enjoy, but my rivals will be thinking the same. It could work out well, because the truth is that I usually manage fine. We'll certainly get wet.'