Alex Molenaar can't remember anything about his Tour de France crash and is forced to abandon the race

The fifth stage of the Tour de France was marred by a crash in the final stretch on Wednesday, which involved Jonas Vingegaard, among others. The hardest-hit rider, however, was Alex Molenaar. The Dutch rider from Caja Rural managed to reach the finish line, but had to undergo medical examinations immediately afterward. It quickly became clear the Dutchman's Tour de France was over.

Five kilometers from the finish, part of the peloton took a tumble. Vingegaard was among those who fell, but was able to quickly continue on teammate Victor Campenaets’ bike. Molenaar was left behind on the hot French asphalt in the fetal position, and several teammates immediately rushed to his aid.

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Molenaar got back on his bike, looking visibly dizzy, but reached the finish line in Pau after a brief medical check. At the finish line, the former polka-dot jersey wearer reportedly said he couldn’t remember anything about the crash that occurred five kilometers from the finish, which suggests he took a hard blow to the head.

The Dutch rider was then taken directly to the medical car. José Miguel Fernández, sports director of Caja Rural, spoke to AS. “At the start of the stage, it was clear to us that we would put all our efforts behind Gaviria. We decided not to place anyone in the breakaway so that he would feel supported and everyone could stay with him as much as possible.”

"The team performed very well all day and stayed in contention the whole time. In the final stretch, there was a crash involving two riders, although Alex came out of it the worst, with several bruises and scrapes," Fernandez sighs.

"At first glance, it doesn't appear that he has any serious injuries or broken bones, but the impact was significant. He'll need to undergo a series of tests to determine the severity of his injuries and see how he's doing ahead of tomorrow," said the team manager.

Upon further inspection Molenaar had a broken metacarpal bone and various bruises came to light, meaning Molenaar will not start the sixth stage.