Stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné was neutralised after a huge crash with 20 km remaining before the finish line.
A fast descent and slippery section of road brought down dozens of riders including overall leader Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) and challenger Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe). As Visma-Lease a Bike’s Tiesj Benoot recounted at the finish, “I was together with Matteo [Jorgenson], Sepp Kuss and Bart Lemmen at the front of the peloton. Just behind us a rider went down, causing a domino effect in the group.” Those four were some of the few safely ahead of the chaos, but the injury-plagued team was hard-hit again as Steven Kruiswijk and Dylan van Baarle were forced to abandon and were taken to hospital. In all, seven riders DNF’d.
After the crash, the race was halted for more than half an hour before ASO’s Seb Piquet announced over race radio the stage would be neutralised as the medical vehicles in the caravan were transporting riders for medical care and were no longer available to follow the peloton.
As television pictures caught the aftermath, Evenepoel could be seen sitting on the ground, feeling his shoulder, before eventually getting back to his feet and demonstrably being able to continue. After the race, Evenepoel said the rain, not any rider behavior, was responsible for the crashes, which occurred on a straight, downhill section of road off the Category 4 Côte de Bel-Air. “I was a bit unlucky, as I almost avoided the crash, but another bike got caught under my bike, and I ended up on the ground, on my right side again,” said Evenepoel. “Overall, I think I am ok, but I will know more tomorrow morning before the start of stage 6.”
Roglič also fell but got back up relatively more quickly than Evenepoel, as did UAE Team Emirates’ Juan Ayuso. In an update on social media, Bora-Hansgrohe said the initial assessment was that its riders involved in the crash (who the team did not name) suffered “grazed skin and sprains” but no broken bones. As of this update, UAE had yet to offer news on Ayuso. Further evaluation will no doubt happen this evening for these GC riders after they’ve ridden the final kilometres of the stage to the finish in Saint-Priest.
Most seriously injured appeared to be Visma-Lease a Bike’s van Baarle, his arm in a sling, and Kruijswijk. This annus horribilis – currently being defined by an unending multitude of injuries – continues for the Dutch team.
What did you think of this story?