The racing team had already announced the day before that Vingegaard suffered a broken collarbone and several broken ribs in the mass fall. During a pneumothorax, air enters the gap between the lung and the chest wall, which means the lung can no longer expand as before and collapses. A life-threatening situation can arise. The condition of the 27-year-old Dane, who remains in hospital, is stable.
On Thursday, several drivers fell in a right-hand bend around 35 kilometers from the finish in Legutio and slipped into a concrete ditch. Vingegaard’s opponent Remco Evenepoel broke his collarbone and the 24-year-old Belgian also suffered a fracture to his shoulder blade. Australian Jay Vine suffered an even worse injury with a fractured cervical vertebra and two fractures of the thoracic spine. Primoz Roglic was also involved in the mass fall. The Slovenian, who was wearing the leader’s yellow jersey, was spared serious injuries but also had to finish the tour.
Horror fall on tour of the Basque Country
Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard and the two stars Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic were involved in a serious crash on the Tour of the Basque Country.
Searching for the causes of a mass fall
When looking for the reasons, not only possible road damage but also the increasingly aggressive driving style in the field comes into focus. Paris-Roubaix race director Gouvenou also spoke to the French sports newspaper “L’Equipe” about the rapid pace of the descents. “Stop, stop, stop, let’s stop the massacre. Let’s start thinking about the speed issues,” Gouvenou told French sports newspaper L’Equipe.
“The drivers (of the support vehicles, note) at the races, who are very experienced people, tell me that they no longer have a safe distance if they leave in front of the cyclists. The descents on the passes are driven at over 100 km/h,” said Gouvenou. It’s time to set boundaries for yourself. “You hear about completely exaggerated translations being used.”
The pace is getting faster and faster
Gouvenou explained that there had been enormous progress in aerodynamics and braking, but it was happening much too quickly: “Unfortunately, as soon as you get off the road, you are not protected because cycling takes place on Mr. Everyman’s road.” For For the one-day race from Paris to Roubaix on Sunday with its dreaded cobblestone sections, the planners have installed a chicane to reduce the speed and thus the risk of falling.
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Superstars fall hard in the Basque Country
German professional cyclist Nils Politt brought another aspect into play in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Friday edition). Just like in football, very, very young riders would come into the WorldTour directly from the junior classes who wanted to prove themselves immediately, said Politt. “In general, the stress level is significantly higher. The races are starting faster and earlier,” said the 30-year-old from Team UAE about the general development in cycling.
“Glad no one is in a coma”
German professional cyclist Simon Geschke, for example, saw the drivers as being to blame. “It was 100 percent the drivers’ fault. They were just too fast. The road was good, it was dry. “It wasn’t a curve that came as a complete surprise,” the race participant told dpa on Friday. “I’m glad that no one is in a coma,” said the 38-year-old veteran, who is retiring after this season. Geschke criticizes a “whoever slows down loses” mentality.
The Spanish Tour de France stage winner Pello Bilbao struck a similar note after reaching the finish. Because the route was actually easy. This should give cyclists pause as they may be the ones causing the danger. “We have to rethink the way we compete a little,” explained the 34-year-old.
Possible damage on road
The newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” and the Spanish professional cyclist Mikel Bizkarra also cited possible road damage as the cause of the devastating accident in an interview with “Diario AS”. There was a gully in the area of the curve, the newspaper wrote. Bizkarra, who drove the Tour of Catalonia in March, pointed out that there were many tree roots under the road on this route that could not be seen. You can’t recognize them at first glance, and if you don’t have a good grip on the handlebars, it’s “easy to fly into the air,” said the 34-year-old.
Mathieu van der Poel, who won his third Tour of Flanders on Sunday, is the defending champion at Paris-Roubaix. In the safety discussion at a media event on Friday, he also often saw the athletes as being to blame. “The most dangerous part of cycling is the riders themselves. We take the risks. “Everyone wants to be at the top, and that’s not possible.” A lot can be changed, but it will never be completely safe. The road world champion doesn’t think much of the chicane that was installed at short notice on Sunday. “It’s good that they’re trying something. But the chicane isn’t the right solution for me and changing it in the week before the race isn’t either.”
