Degenkolb battered and bruised in training crash on eve of his 11th Tour
Picnic-PostNL's John Degenkolb will start the stage 1 team time trial with bandages to his knee and elbow, and a bruised shoulder after crashing on Friday, the eve of his 11th Tour de France.
"Definitely not the best circumstances to start my 11th Tour de France in Barcelona. Unfortunately I hit the deck in yesterday's training ride," Degenkolb wrote in an Instagram post. "Luckily I got away with no major injuries but obviously abrasions and a bruised shoulder is not ideal. But I’m not here to complain, today the biggest bikerace [sic] of the world starts and I’m really excited to be a part of it with my Team Picnic-PostNL."
The 37-year-old German veteran is one of the most experienced riders on his team, second only to 34-year-old Warren Barguil who has one more Tour start on his books. Degenkolb hasn't raced the Tour, nor any of the three-week stage races, since July 2024, but he starts this year's race as one of the few in the peloton to have collected a trilogy of stage wins, his last coming on the memorable Roubaix stage at the 2018 Tour.
