Tour de Pollogne leader Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) described his injuries sustained in a crash at the end of stage 4 as "painful."

Higuchi's crash in the last 3km allowed him to stay in the lead and ride at his own pace until the uphill finish in Sanok.

However, the grim look on his face as he ran gently up the final climb, accompanied by teammate Cesare Benedetti, and the blood flowing from a cut on his right knee showed that this had not been an easy day for him.

Stage winner Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) was concerned about the condition of Hiwatari's bandaged knee in the mixed zone after the finish.

But in a series of brief questions, Higuain confirmed that the injury was not an easy one, even if he appeared to be walking without problems.

"The corner was probably a little dirty, first one of the Cofidis fell and then everyone braked. I braked and drove on the right side," he said of the accident just after the roundabout and the right corner.

"Then I crashed alone. It was super unlucky."

"It was super unlucky.

As for whether the crash would affect his overall chances, Higuain was honest: "It's possible, because I don't think I'll be able to ride my bike tomorrow [Wednesday] because of my knee."

"I'm in pain, but I'll work on recovery over the next few days. My focus is on the Vuelta and I hope to finish the race in good condition."

Higuita's first challenge will be to get through Wednesday's 178-km stage from Lankt to Rzeszow, which is relatively flat, and if that goes well, Thursday's 11-km time trial will put him directly in the spotlight to defend his overall lead.