The fourth stage is marked by shock and concern for a bad crash in which Tesfazion was also involved. Roglic and Evenepoel's withdrawals mean the young Dane takes the GC lead.
Today, at Itzulia Basque Country, was one of those days that the peloton never wants to experience, and where talking about competition pales in comparison to the serious consequences of the mass crash.
A large crash at 36km to go, on the descent before one of the key points of the stage, took down numerous riders and indelibly marked the race.
Medical aid was immediately necessary for many riders, given the speed at which they were riding and the presence of rocks, trees and a cement ditch. alongside the road. Among the victims was our Natnael Tesfazion (whose medical update is available here).
The moment in which the race has been neutralized (©GettyImages)
The peloton riding safely to the finish (©GettyImages)
Due to the race ambulances needing to take care of the most injured riders, there was no option but to neutralize the race. The jury and organizers then decided to allow the riders who were in the breakaway at the time of the crash to compete for stage success, while for the GC it was decided to neutralize the times, allowing the peloton to arrive at the finish line safely.
Among the riders who had to abandon the race included some top GC competitors such as Roglic, Evenepoel and Vingegaard. The first two were the ones ahead of Mattias Skjelmose (with 10″ and 3″ leads) and so the Danish champion automatically became GC leader. A result decided, unfortunately, by fate, which in Mattias’ words finds the best commentary.
Skjelmose's reaction
Today is a really sad day. My thoughts are just for all the guys that crashed today, starting from my teammate Natnael. I wish them all the best and a fast recovery.
I’m now the leader of the race, but of course there’s nothing to celebrate today. It’s hard to speak or even think about the competition in days like this. I’m really not thinking about the leader jersey now. Let’s have this night pass.
Everything happened very fast and suddenly. Natnael crashed in front of me, I feel lucky I was not involved. The road was really bumpy, we were all fighting for position and unfortunately the peloton came to that turn a bit too fast. When the first rider crashed, the others just followed. They were really unlucky and it’s not anyone’s fault.
I think this year the race is a bit less hard and many strong riders are there fighting for position. The level of the competition is high, as well as the level of the stress and nervousness. That’s a fact and that’s cycling right now.
Lidl-Trek extends its well wishes to all riders and hopes they make a full and fast recovery.
