Visma | Lease a Bike signing Anton Schiffer breaks collarbone for second time in two months

Bad news for Anton Schiffer and Visma | Lease a Bike: the German, who joined the Dutch team this year, has broken his collarbone in a crash during stage three of the Tour de Pologne. Schiffer had been sitting 12th in the general classification, but will not start Thursday’s fourth stage of the WorldTour race.

“Anton Schiffer will not start stage four of the Tour de Pologne. Following a crash in yesterday’s stage, Anton has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone,” the Dutch team announced on social media. “We wish Anton a speedy recovery!”

It is a bitter setback for Schiffer, who has been racing for Visma | Lease a Bike since January. This is the second time in just over six weeks that he has suffered a broken collarbone. The first injury occurred during a training ride in mid-June, before another crash brought the same painful outcome in stage three of the Tour de Pologne.

The 26-year-old German, a former triathlete joined Visma | Lease a Bike from continental team Bike AID last winter. He immediately made an impression in his first race for the yellow-and-black squad, finishing 14th at the Tour Down Under. Schiffer later produced more strong performances with fifth place at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, 17th at O Gran Camiño, 20th at the Tour de Romandie and fourth at the Flèche du Sud.

Following his first collarbone fracture in June, Schiffer spent much of July at altitude as he worked toward the second half of the season. In stage two of the Tour de Pologne, he collected bonus seconds from the early breakaway, leaving him in a promising position in the general classification before the race moved into its more demanding stages.

The latest collarbone fracture means Schiffer will not get the opportunity to show what he could do in the mountains. It is not yet known how long his recovery will take. “From tomorrow, the general classification riders will get their chance to show themselves. We are in a good position in the overall standings. With Bart Lemmen, Wilco Kelderman and Louis Barré, we can certainly compete for stage victories and a strong result in the final classification,” said team director Robert Wagner.