Stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné was fully neutralised with no winner after an enormous crash that introduced down greater than 30 riders, together with race chief Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Fast-Step) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe).
The incident additionally noticed the top of the race for Visma-Lease a Bike rider Steven Kruijswijk, who was taken away in an ambulance, whereas his team-mate Dylan van Baarle was additionally injured. It was paying homage to the horror crash at Itzulia Basque Nation in April, which additionally noticed a stage finish early.
After practically an hour of ready round for information about what would occur, the riders slowly rode the ultimate 21 kilometres to the end at Saint-Priest in what largely good spirits.
Each the peloton and the break had struggled with damp roads all day on the 167km parcours between Amplepuis and Saint-Priest, with heavy rain and new, greasy tarmac combining to journey riders up.
Breakaway rider Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility) was the primary to return down within the slippery bends. That was adopted a short time later by a small crash within the bunch, after which, with round 21km to go, an enormous crash within the bunch on a straight street.
It appeared to happen when a number of riders misplaced traction on a stretch of shiny downhill tarmac that afforded these round them no probability to achieve any traction below braking.
Many riders ended up in and round a roadside ditch.
The race was neutralised a short time later, earlier than it was ultimately declared that there could be no winner – partially as a result of there was now not sufficient medical cowl to carry the race because it was all occupied treating riders or taking them to hospital.
The day had begun innocuously sufficient, with a three-man break containing mountains chief Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Motels), Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Holter (Uno-X Mobility). However Holter’s crash with 77km to go signified that each one won’t be nicely.
The break was lowered to gingerly taking corners, and following a crash on a right-hand bend that introduced down round 10 riders with 38km to go, the peloton adopted swimsuit.
The bunch had been closing in on the break – whose lead had been lowered from 4 minutes to round 30sec – when an enormous crash happened with 21km to go.
Whereas there was no winner of in the present day’s stage, dash and mountains factors gained whereas the race was underway will nonetheless depend. The final classification will stay the identical. Remco Evenepoel stays within the race lead.
Critérium du Dauphiné normal classification after stage 5
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Fast-Step, in 12:27:22
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Bora-Hansgrohe, +33s
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +1:04
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech), +1:11
5. Oier Lazkano (Esp) Movistar, +1:21
6. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +1:25
7. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Training-EasyPost, at similar time
8. Juan Ayuso (Esp) UAE Crew Emirates, +1:27
9. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Lidl-Trek, +1:39
10. Carlos Rodríguez (Esp) Ineos Grenadiers, +1:41
