Florian Lipowitz was on track for a top-five finish in the stage 16 individual time trial when he crashed hard in a fast right-hander. He was sent sliding across the tarmac, hitting the kerb back first, then thunked over into the padding, possibly hitting his head along the way.
It was immediately clear he was hurt. Probably winded, and definitely covered in road rash. Then as he slowly tried to sit up, one hand was lifted to the opposite upper arm – a sure sign of a broken collarbone.
The moments ticked by, and still, Lipowitz did not get up. His provisional second-best time, with only two faster riders left to come through, was out of the window, but even thoughts of GC time loss began to dissipate. Now it was simply a question of would he remount at all?
The answer was no. And choosing their moment carefully, a race doctor and team staff member guided the young German across the road and into the back of a waiting ambulance. Later the same evening, his team confirmed that Lipowitz had broken his collarbone.
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