Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, April 5, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

To be is to do – Socrates
To do is to be – Sartre
Do Be Do Be Do – Frank Sinatra

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Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• April 1 - 6: Tour of the Basque Country/Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
• April 2 - 5: Region Pays de la Loire Tour

Upcoming racing:

• April 7: Paris-Roubaix
• April 10: De Brabantse Pijl

Latest completed racing:

• April 3: Scheldeprijs
• March 31: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders)
• March 30: Gran Premio Miguel Indurain
• March 30: Volta Limburg Classic
• March 29: Route Adélie de Vitré
• March 27: Dwars door Vlaanderen
• March 27: Paris-Camembert Lepetit
• March 18 - 24: Volta a Catalunya
• March 24: Ghent - Wevelgem
• March 24: La Roue Tourangelle

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Terrible crash in stage four of Vuelta al País Vasco/Tour of the Basque Country

Here's the update from the Spanish paper El Diaro Vasco:

Vingegaard and Vine have been taken to hospital. The Dane from Visma Lease a Bike has been evacuated on a stretcher and with the help of oxygen, although he has been conscious at all times. Vine is also conscious and "talking."

Roglic and Evenepoel have also abandoned, although they have gotten into the car on their own. Remco has been taken in the team car to the hospital with a possible collarbone injury.

Others affected: Natnael Tesfatsion (Lidl Trek), Sean Quinn (EF), Cepeda (EF).

In total, the stage has claimed thirteen abandonments.

Jonas Vingegaard is ambulanced to the hospital. El Diario Vasco photo

The race has been neutralized and the peloton will reach the finish line that way, while the escapees, Meintjes (Intermarché), Thompson (Groupama), Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), López (Caja Rural), Retegi (Kern Pharma) and Vacek (Burgos ), yes they are going to compete for the stage victory. This has been decided by the UCI stewards, who are unrelated to the Itzulia organization.

The general times will not be taken into account today and Skjelmose (Trek) will be the new leader of the race tomorrow.

The race organizer posted this summary:

The fourth stage of the Itzulia 2024 is on, starting in Etxarri Aranatz and finishing in Legutio, the race has come to Araba. The stage involves 159 kilometres and 4 scoring mountain passes. After yesterday’s hard falls, the main favourites for the general classification took to the starting line. Which was great news. 

The day started fast and slightly windy, with a breakaway that materialised at kilometre 12, with 6 escapees:  Reuben Thompson (87, GFC), Louis Meintjes (121, IWA), Mathieu Burgaudeau (141, TEN), Mikel Retegi (195, EKP), Joseba Lopez (213, CJR) and Karel Vacek (223, BBH). Enekoitz Azparren (177, EUS) tried to catch them, but was ultimately absorbed by the peloton. 

The peloton let the escapees open up a lead of more than 6 minutes. The wind picked up with 60 kilometres to go and the peloton upped the pace just in case it caught any of the favourites by surprise. The group eventually broke up, with the leaders at the front of the peloton. The main group reduced the pace and again concentrated on controlling the distance of 3’50” to the breakaway. 

The race approached the last 3 short but steep climbs of the day. The pace was upped again to catch the breakaway. Which was losing riders due to the competition for the mountain points. Having reached the summit of Olaeta, 32 kilometres from the finish line, the riders began to descend when several crashed out hard, including Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and others. The fall happened on a high-speed curve where the riders involved exited the outside of the curve of the road, landing and hitting several rocks and other elements. The race was stopped as medics and ambulances attended to the many injured. For safety reasons, it was decided to cancel the Untzilla mountain pass and neutralise the route until the town of Aretxabaleta. The organisers waited for the medics to rejoin the race. These were very stressful moments, with much concern for the cyclists. 

In the end, the UCI commissaries, riders and organisers agreed to neutralise the stage until the finish line, the 6 leading riders would compete for the stage, but their times would not be counted for the general classification. The peloton would be neutralised to the finish line. 

The last few kilometres of the stage were very strange, with the peloton riding at a neutralised pace and the escapees competing to win in unpleasant circumstances. The strongest escapee was Louis Meintjes (121, IWT) who took the stage. After Primoz Roglic’s withdrawal, Mattias Skjelmose becomes the new race leader. 

Here's the news from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

First the initial post from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike lost Jonas Vingegaard in the fourth stage of Itzulia Basque Country. The leader of the Dutch cycling formation was involved in a big crash. The remainder of the race was neutralised by the organisation.

At 35 kilometres before the finish line, things went horribly wrong in the descent of the Olaeta climb. At the front of the peloton, several riders slid straight on at a right-hand bend. Vingegaard crashed hard and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.

The remainder of the race was neutralised. Only the six-rider breakaway group was still allowed to battle for the day's victory. Louis Meintjes won the fourth stage.

Sports director Addy Engels: "Over the radio we heard that Jonas was involved in a big crash. We immediately saw that it didn't look good when we arrived to him. Fortunately, he was conscious. Jonas is now being examined at the hospital. We are waiting for any updates now.”

Here's the follow-up post:

It was a nasty crash in the fourth stage of Itzulia Basque Country, 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. Thank you for all your messages.

Here's the crash update from Natnael Tesfazion's Team Lidl-Trek:

Natnael Tesfazion was unfortunately among the riders who suffered the worst in the large crash that heavily marked today’s fourth stage of the Itzulia Basque Country.

After being attended by the race doctors onsite, Tesfazion was transported to hospital by ambulance for all the necessary checks. Natnael never lost consciousness, despite the bad crash, but suffered numerous contusions and abrasions, the severity of which will only be known after medical examinations.

A short update from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Following the crash during Thursday’s stage 4 of Itzulia Basque Country, Remco Evenepoel was taken to hospital, for medical examination.

There it was revealed that the Belgian Champion suffered a fracture to his right collarbone and his right scapula.

Remco will travel to Belgium on Friday, where he will undergo an operation on his collarbone, and further examination, at the hospital in Herentals.

And here's an update from Team Bora-hansgrohe on Lennard Kämna, who suffered a bad training accident:

Lennard Kämna is in a stable condition, he is awake, responsive and able to communicate. Lennard Kämna suffered numerous injuries in yesterday's training accident on Tenerife. He is receiving very good care in the hospital on Tenerife and will be monitored in the intensive care unit over the next few days. Members of his family and the team are with him.

According to initial findings on the accident, the driver of an oncoming vehicle turned left into Lennard Kämna's lane and collided with him. At the time, he was riding with the training group, which was accompanied by team coaches. No other team riders or coaches were involved in the accident.

Lennard Kämna winning stage three of the 2023 Alps Tour.

Ralph Denk, Team Manager BORA - hansgrohe: "We are relieved that Lennard's condition has stabilized after this serious accident and that he is doing well under the circumstances. The whole team feels for him, and we all wish him a speedy recovery. From the team side, we will continue to do everything necessary to ensure that he makes a full recovery from this accident. That's all that matters now - anything else can wait."

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