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Follow us on GoogleStage five of the Critérium du Dauphiné was extremely tense, which sadly was reflected in the number of withdrawals. Multiple crashes occurred along the route, with several riders forced to abandon.
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In the first half of the stage, Louis Vervaeke went down. The Belgian rider, a trusted support figure for Remco Evenepoel at Soudal Quick-Step, did not get back up and was taken to the hospital. Medical examinations revealed a fracture in his left collarbone, his team informed.
Vervaeke will be transferred to Belgium on Friday, where he’ll undergo further evaluation at the Herentals hospital, and a recovery plan will be drawn up. Whether he will be able to start the Tour de France in three weeks is now highly uncertain. Earlier, Evenepoel had already lost his key domestique Mikel Landa, who crashed out during the first stage of the Giro d’Italia.
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Evenepoel also crashed
In the final phase, Evenepoel also crashed. "I don't know what happened. I have no idea whether I hit the ground with my pedal or slipped off my handlebars because of sweat. But everything is fine, and I'm happy about that. It was just an unfortunate moment," said the Belgian.
"The race doctor has already checked me out. Everything has been disinfected, and it didn't even sting. So, I didn't suffer any deep wounds. I don't think it will bother me in the coming days. It wasn't a hard crash, either," he said. Evenepoel also saw Vervaeke's crash. "I don't know exactly what happened there either, but his withdrawal is a huge blow. Louis was going to be very important in the next three days. We're definitely going to miss him."
Evenepoel does not expect to experience any discomfort from his crash on Friday, which looked pretty nasty, judging by the amateur footage that has been posted online. "I think it will be a first test. I expect a battle for the day's breakaway and, in the end, a beautiful all-out effort of about twenty minutes. Compared to Saturday, it's nothing, but all the mountain finishes are important. And it's going to be hot, too."
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XDS-Astana loses GC rider Tejada to crash
Vervaeke wasn’t the only rider to hit the ground. XDS-Astana also suffered its share of misfortune. The Chinese-Kazakh team saw two of its key riders for the Dauphiné and Tour de France, Harold Tejada and Simone Velasco, go down in a crash. Tejada, who was well-positioned in the general classification, was forced to abandon shortly afterward due to a hand injury. Velasco was able to continue.
At Israel–Premier Tech, sprinter Pascal Ackermann also went down. The German grabbed his elbow and then stepped into the team car. In addition, Michael Hepburn (Jayco AlUla) and Johan Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were among the other riders who dropped out of this grueling edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné.
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'.
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