Cycling: These are images that no one wants to see. Numerous riders fall on the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country and remain injured. The section was initially neutralized. Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic had to abandon the race. The race organizers still wanted to determine a stage winner.
́ ́ with many implications in la @ehizulia
Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Roglic, with gestures of great pain among the affected people#itzulia2024 pic.twitter.com/pVjlaglVd9
- Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) April 4, 2024
Vingegaard can't get up
The fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country over 157,5 kilometers from Etxarri Aranatz to Legutio was neutralized. Around 40 kilometers from the finish there was a big fall in the peloton in a long right-hand bend downhill. Numerous professionals – among others Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step), Primois Roglic (Bora – hansgrohe) and jonas vingegaard (Visma – LaB) – fall heavily and sometimes stay lying down for minutes. The race organizers have meanwhile neutralized the stage. Tour winner Vingegaard seems to have had it particularly bad. The Dane lay on his side for minutes and was unable to get up. He was later seen being carried away on a stretcher into the ambulance. Also Jay Vine (UAE) remained motionless in the ditch for several minutes.
Roglic & Evenepoel give up the race
After it hit him yesterday Primois Roglic (Bora – hansgrohe) fell again today. The Slovenian held his bloody arm and limped to the team vehicle. First suspicion: broken collarbone. The man in the yellow jersey was later seen sitting in the team vehicle, giving a thumbs up. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick-Step) is said to have suffered a broken collarbone, according to initial information. The Belgian champion was lucky that he was able to avoid the concrete ditch. Passing trees and rocks, he finally fell violently on the meadow.
#ElMundoRuedaXSeñal | ¡Noticia de alto impacto en el ciclismo mundial! He was born to Jonas Vingegaard, who was attentive to the evolution of the man of vision.
Look at her #Itzulia2024 here. https://t.co/REiLk94Cfh pic.twitter.com/fDat1JYKMH
— Senal Deportes (@SenalDeportes) April 4, 2024
Among other things Drivers involved in the crash
- Primois Roglic (Bora – hansgrohe)
- jonas vingegaard (Visma – LaB)
- Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step)
- Jay Vine (UAE)
- Natnael Tesfatsion (Lidl – Trek)
- Sean Quinn (EF Education – EasyPost)
- Markel Beloki (EF Education – EasyPost)
More information will follow.
Louis Meintjes wins the stage
While the health status of the affected drivers was still largely uncertain, the race organization made the decision to determine a stage winner. So the six outliers were allowed to compete for the day's victory, while the race behind them was neutralized for the peloton. With little motivation and without giving full throttle, the sextet initially drove together towards Legutio after neutralization. Shortly before the mountain classification in Leintz-Gatzaga, the fight for the stage win picked up speed. louis meintjes (Intermarché – Wanty), wearing the mountain jersey, broke away shortly before the summit and thus not only won valuable mountain points but also the day's success. The new overall leader is Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek). However, given today's events, this is just a side note.
Terrible caída with Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel implicados
— COPEdaleando (@Copedaleando) April 4, 2024