It's only the second day of the 2023 World Tour, but the Tour Down Under has already seen a rash of crashes and injuries.
Following a rainy opening prologue that saw several riders hit the deck on a slippery corner in downtown Adelaide, the 150km first stage in Tanunda also saw a small crash early on, followed by another in the sprint.
Robert Gesink (Jumbo-Visma) was the first rider to leave the race after crashing hard. He and teammates Timo Roosen and Tim van Dijk were also involved in a crash on the side of the road 25 km from the line that left the veteran Dutch rider with his head and back on the ground and unable to continue racing.
"I can only conclude that it was a bad day for the team," coach Adi Engels said after the stage.
"Losing Robert is a big setback. The crash looked pretty bad. It soon became clear that we could not continue."
"Fortunately he is doing well considering the circumstances, but we need to watch him carefully. He must first recover from this tough day before we can develop a detailed strategy for tomorrow's stage."
Geesink later gave an update on his Instagram, admitting that he fractured his pelvis in the crash.
"I wasn't expecting how I would end my time in Australia," Goethink wrote.
"An unfortunate accident left me with a fractured pelvis and much thinner than I was this morning. Now I am back with my family."This is not the first major injury the 36-year-old Goessink has suffered in his professional career: in September 2011, he broke his femur in a training crash and faced a long rehabilitation over the winter; in 2019, he crashed at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, breaking his pelvis and collarbone and He missed the summer races.
He will likely miss a similar period of time (about 3 months) this time around.
The breakaway to the sprint finish also caused further havoc when several riders were violently knocked to the ground in the finale. Chris Harper (Jayco Arla) broke his collarbone and was ruled out of the second stage.
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), who finished second in the prologue, suffered abrasions to his knee and elbow after a crash at the end of the stage and was treated by race medical. He told Cycling News Thursday morning that he slept well at the start and vowed to continue racing.
Beulah Hansgrohe said the same about sprinter Jordi Meeus, who suffered two crashes in the first stage, but the German team later confirmed that he would also be out of the race after suffering concussion.
"Jordi Meeus underwent tests and further investigation, but no serious effects from the fall were found. However, due to the concussion he will not start the second stage tomorrow," the team announced on social media.
Along with Gesink, Patrick Bevin (Team DSM) also left the race midway through the stage. He fell hard in the Schwalbe Classic criterium and sprained his ankle. This pain prevented him from continuing the Tour Down Under.
James Knox (Soudal-Quick Step) also left the Tour Down Under before the second stage. The Briton was involved in a crash during the stage, but was later disqualified after it was discovered that he overdrafted his team car on the return to the peloton.
On the first day of racing, a number of riders crashed in the tricky conditions, most of them slipping out in the wet spots on the last corner of the course.
The unfortunate Van Dijk was one of them, as were Emils Liepins (Trek-Segafredo), Jensen Prowright (Groupama-FDJ), Mikel Honoré (EF Education-Easy Post) and Chris Hamilton (Team DSM).
Several riders have been injured away from the race. Uno X rider Jonas Abrahamsen was involved in a high-speed crash during the Spanish training camp on Monday. He swallowed his tongue after crashing to the ground and escaped with cuts and scrapes.
Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek Segafredo) crashed during training on Tuesday, leaving him with a broken collarbone, and more bad news came on Wednesday.
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