Remco Evenepoel fractures collarbone and shoulder blade, vertebral fractures for Steff Cras and Jay Vine

The fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country 2024 will go down in history as that one day with the horrific crash. A portion of the peloton plunged into the grass verge and ditch following a high-speed fall, with top favorites Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic, and Jonas Vingegaard among the main victims. A (regrettable) overview...

This article will be updated as more information is available...

Representing Visma | Lease a Bike, Jonas Vingegaard was the sole and also one of the biggest victims of the crash. The Dane was kept in a stable side position and left the race in an ambulance. Team manager Frans Maassen stayed with the Dane until he was placed in the ambulance and informed Eurosport commentator Karsten Kroon that Vingegaard was conscious. Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed this and later added, "JIt was a nasty crash, but fortunately he is stable and conscious. Examinations at the hospital have revealed that he has a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. He remains in hospital as a precaution. Thank you for all your messages."

Remco Evenepoel walked away from the scene with his arm in the classic collarbone/shoulder position. Soon after, fears were confirmed: the Belgian has broken his right collarbone and shoulder blade and will travel to Herentals for surgery on Friday. "My short-term goals (the Walloon classics, ed.) will now change, but I hope that's not the case for my long-term goals," Evenepoel said in a brief statement. "I would like to thank everyone for their support, especially the medical staff."

Primoz Roglic fell for the second day in a row. The Slovenian from BORA-hansgrohe walked away from the scene after sitting in the ditch for a while, but then he took a seat in the team car. He was still shown on camera giving a thumbs-up, suggesting - at first glance - he got off relatively lightly.

Jay Vine (UAE-Team Emirates) was in a bad state in the ditch. The Australian was also moved in an ambulance. His team announced early on that he was conscious, after which Dr. Adriano Rotunno later shared more information: "Jay has sustained cervical and two thoracic vertebral fractures, fortunately with no neurological damage and no other forms of head trauma or serious injuries. He remains in the hospital for neurological observation. We are waiting for a spinal orthopedic assessment and further treatment."

Natnael Tesfatsion (Lidl-Trek) was one of the first to slip and he too is being transported to the hospital in an ambulance. Later in the evening, his team provided an update: "After Natnael was examined by the doctors on site, he was transported without losing consciousness. No fractures or concussions were found, but he did suffer multiple abrasions and bruises on the right side of his body. We are particularly monitoring his elbow."

Steff Cras of TotalEnergies was involved in the crash. The Belgian is conscious but has sustained a pneumothorax, multiple rib fractures, and two vertebral fractures. He will stay in the hospital for several days, his team reports.

EF Education-EasyPost saw Sean Quinn and Alexander Cepeda go down. Quinn had to leave the Tour of the Basque Country, and his team will provide more information as soon as it knows about any injuries.

Quinten Hermans, riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck, crashed too. The winner of Wednesday's stage got off with some abrasions, his team reports.