Just a day after heavy crash, Abrahamsen back on the bike as Uno-X shares hopeful Tour de France update

In the last 10 kilometers of the first stage, a rider from BEAT Cycling tried to move up in the peloton. He realized too late that he would suddenly be on the wrong side of a barrier. He braked to rejoin the peloton. However, the riders behind him were the victims of this. The first rider to crash was Zeno Moonen (Intermarché-Wanty), who could not avoid the Conti rider. Abrahamsen also went down hard as a result of the maneuver.

The damage was extensive, as was quickly apparent. Both Moonen and Abrahamsen were severely injured and remained on the ground for a long time. The 21-year-old Belgian got up a little later and managed to finish the race, and the tall Norwegian also wanted to continue. However, he had to give up later. He was taken to the hospital, where a collarbone fracture was diagnosed. “He will see a shoulder specialist in a day or two,” his team said. “The next steps will be assessed after that. A plan will be made to help him recover as quickly as possible.”

Abrahamsen's withdrawal could have major consequences for the Tour de France. He was part of the selection for Uno-X for La Grande Boucle, but it is uncertain whether he will make it. The extremely strong rider finished seventh in Dwars door het Hageland last week and came second in Dwars door Vlaanderen the previous year. He also won the Brussels Cycling Classics with a strong solo performance.

However, most people will know him for his attacking spirit in last year's Tour de France. In stage 1, he immediately took the polka dot jersey before finishing second behind Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) in stage 2. Abrahamsen was involved in the long breakaways until late in the Tour and was the mountain classification leader until stage 10. Because Tadej Pogacar had overtaken him in that classification – the yellow jersey wearer – we saw Abrahamsen in the polka dot jersey until stage 14. Richard Carapaz ultimately defeated the extremely active Norwegian in the election for the most combative rider.

One day after his nasty crash, Abrahamsen was already back on the rollers. The injury did not seem as bad as it could have been, which was later confirmed by his team. “A CT scan reviewed by a world-leading shoulder specialist suggests the fracture is less severe than first feared, and surgery may not be necessary,” the team said in a statement. “While the chances of Jonas making the start in Lille remain very slim, he is motivated to do everything possible to be ready – and he will have the team’s full support throughout his recovery.”

So there is still a chance that the Norwegian will be there, but: “As always, the health and wellbeing of our riders comes first. Any final decision will be made in the best interest of Jonas – not just for this season, but for the rest of his career. We will continue to monitor the situation and make a new assessment regarding our Tour de France line-up next week.”