Cycling: Wind edges make every flat stage more interesting. But as much as the spectators are looking forward to the exciting races, the professionals fear strong gusts of wind. We are currently seeing this on the long-distance journey from Paris to Nice. There were numerous falls in the first two days. Warren Barguil (Arkéa – Samsic) was hit the hardest.
https://www.velomotion.de/magazin/2019/03/radsport-paris-nizza-groenewegen/
https://www.velomotion.de/magazin/2019/03/radsport-paris-nizza-groenewegen-wind/
Barguil fractures his second cervical vertebra
It's not a pretty picture when the peloton suddenly splits and riders are lying on the ground. But these recordings are part of reality. Surprisingly often, the pros get off lightly, even though they hit the asphalt hard. At Paris - Nice we are currently experiencing the cruel side of cycling. After two stages, nine riders had to give up the race. The strong wind is to blame. The drivers leave their line unintentionally due to jerky gusts. Even if the affected professional can still save himself, the reaction time for the backers is often not sufficient. A chain reaction with falls is the result. It's the worst Warren Barguil (Arkéa – Samsic) caught. The Frenchman was immediately unconscious and taken to the hospital. There the doctors diagnosed the fracture of the second cervical vertebra. One can only hope that the mountain jersey winner from the 2017 Tour de France escapes unscathed.
Fractura de vertebra para Warren Barguil.. ¡Son guerreros! pic.twitter.com/AaoxoLGKur
— Diego Vos ~ ciclismo (@diegovos_) March 11, 2019
Light riders in particular suffer from gusts of wind
In addition to Warren Barguil, there was also yesterday from Team Arkéa – Samsic Maxim Bouet caught. Due to a knee injury he could not finish the second stage. But other teams were also hit hard. Sunweb already lost on the first leg Michael Matthews and Martijn Tusveld. At Dimension Data, it was in the person of louis meintjes and Mark Cavendish also given two prominent victims. Jasper de Buyst (Lotto – Soudal), Gorka Izagirre (Astana) and Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First) complete the list of failures. It is striking that it mainly hit strong climbers. The climbers weigh less and are therefore less able to balance out strong gusts of wind. Let's hope that the wind at Paris – Nice will blow less strongly through the peloton on the coming stages – and that the races will still remain exciting.
💥 Hey. Vilaine chute pour Rigoberto Uran.
💥 Ouch. Violent crash for @UraniumRigoberto.#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/Uds2S4wrF2— Paris Nice (@ParisNice) March 11, 2019