A massive crash left several marquee riders injured on stage 4 of the Itzulia Basque Country, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), and Primož Roglič among those involved.
The crash occurred on a rightward bend in the road inside the final 40 km of the stage, with about a dozen riders hitting the deck hard, including some who fell into concrete ditches beside the road. Of the aforementioned stars, Vingegaard seemed especially badly affected, spending minutes on the ground before leaving the race in an ambulance.
According to his Visma-Lease a Bike team, “Jonas is conscious and will be examined in the hospital now.” Further details on his condition, and that of the other affected riders, are not yet known.
Visma-Lease a Bike provided an update on Vingegaard later the same evening: “It 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.”
In the aftermath of the crash, the emergency vehicles attached to the race were called to the scene of the incident, leaving them unable to assist in any potential future crashes. As a result, organizers decided to neutralize racing temporarily and to neutralize the GC for the stage, with only the six-rider breakaway contesting the stage win. Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty) took stage honours.
Exactly what caused the crash remains unclear, but Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Mikel Bizkarra – not in the race but from the area – has noted on Twitter that there are “a lot of roots” on the specific stretch of road where the incident occurred.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.