Tree roots, level too high or risks: fellow riders look for possible cause of the Basque Country crash

Mattias Skjelmose can now call himself the new leader of the Tour of the Basque Country, but the Dane from Lidl-Trek will not wear this first leader's jersey with pride. Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), the two ahead of him, disappeared from the race after a massive crash, which also involved Skjelmose's compatriot Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).

Skjelmose's teammate, Natnael Tesfatsion, was one of the first to hit the asphalt, the Danish champion also observed. "We were descending after the first steep climb and the road was very bumpy while we were fighting for positions. Unfortunately, we were going a bit too fast and that caused some riders to fall, after which more followed...", Skjelmose shares his side of the story.

"It was very unfortunate and I don’t think it was anyone's fault," Skjelmose states, seeking explanations for the many crashes in recent weeks. "To be honest, indeed, there are a lot of falls in this race. I am somewhat surprised by that, coming from the always nervous Paris-Nice." Earlier, riders including David Gaudu and Tom Pidcock had already dropped out, while Roglic, like Juan Ayuso among others, had also hit the ground on Wednesday.

"This year, the course in the Basque Country is somewhat easier, but the level is so high. So many guys can compete at the front," outlines the winner of last year's Tour of Switzerland. "When we climb with crazy numbers, there are still sixty guys in the peloton at the top of a climb. That always makes it a bit nervous, there's nothing more to say about it. That's just cycling for you," concludes the new leader of the Tour of the Basque Country with Eurosport.

Hermans: "I think the turn was misjudged"

Quinten Hermans, who won a stage on Wednesday, was also caught up in the crash. "I didn’t see much of it, but I was involved," said the rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck. "I managed to partially avoid it and went into the bushes, where most had fallen just before. I'm really among the lucky ones, the damage is relatively minor," he told VTM Nieuws.

"I think the riders misjudged the turn. There were a lot of bumps in that corner, and I believe that's why they didn't dare to brake. That way, the braking moment was missed, and the turn was sharper than anticipated. As a result, the second rider lost his line. I can’t say it was a dangerous course or a dangerous turn; I think we ourselves are pushing the limits too hard," Hermans concludes.

Mikel Bizkarra, a local and rider for Euskaltel-Euskadi, knows the road well and shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter). "There are a lot of tree roots under the asphalt on that road, making it very bumpy. At first glance, you don’t see them, but unwittingly you bounce around. If you don’t hold the handlebars tightly, you can easily get lifted." Pello Bilbao, riding for Bahrain Victorious and also from the Basque Country, confirmed that analysis.