Tour of the Dauphiné

30 riders crashed! Stage aborted

An anxious moment at the Dauphine Tour

(Bild: AFP/x.com/Critérium du Dauphiné)

A mass crash involving around 30 riders led to the stage of the Dauphiné Tour being abandoned on Thursday. The incident occurred around 21 kilometers before the finish on the fifth stage due to the slippery conditions. A number of riders had already crashed beforehand. The organizers explained the neutralization on X (formerly Twitter) with the lack of medical assistance along the route. The rest of the route was neutralized.

"No times will be taken on this stage and there will be no stage winner," they added. 

Among the pros who crashed in the second mass crash were the Belgian overall leader Remco Evenepoel, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic and the Spaniard Juan Ayuso. However, the top riders came off lightly with abrasions and bruises. Dutch riders Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk from the Visma team, which has been particularly plagued by crashes this year, were injured and had to leave the race for hospital.

Concussion suspected for Kepplinger 
Several others also had to be treated on the course. The Austrians Rainer Kepplinger (Bahrain) and Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar) were also involved. While Mühlberger was able to continue, Kepplinger had to abandon the race with a suspected concussion.

The tarmac was apparently extremely slippery due to the rain. Pictures showed racers skidding across the wet road, sometimes for meters. For many teams and riders, the tour is an important preparation for the Tour de France, which begins at the end of June. The race ends on Sunday.