Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has deserted the Tour de France after battling accidents sustained in a crash on stage 5.
The Dane turned probably the most high-profile identify to withdraw from this 12 months’s Tour as his workforce introduced he wouldn’t take to the beginning line on stage 8.
Pedersen crashed at excessive pace within the bunch dash on stage 5 – the place Axel Zingle (Cofidis) was seen bunny-hopping over him to keep away from crashing too – and battled on by means of the following two levels.
In an announcement posted on Saturday morning, Lidl-Trek mentioned that “the vary of motion in his left shoulder has worsened, making it virtually not possible to deal with the bike.”
They added, “Along with the Group, the choice was made that it was in Mads’ finest curiosity to cease racing as a way to bear extra detailed examinations to evaluate his accidents additional and provides him the right relaxation and restoration wanted to give attention to his remaining targets this summer time and the ultimate a part of the season.”
Preliminary scans revealed no fractures after he crashed close to the road in Saint Vulbas, however the sprinter seemed worse for put on through the subsequent levels. Stage 6, ending in Dijon, was one other dash alternative however the Dane may solely handle to cross the road fifteenth, together with his accidents evidently hampering his journey.
He was awarded the combativity award of the day for persevering with regardless of being battered and bruised – however which will have aggravated the issue, because the podium presentation delayed him from getting his dressings modified.
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Stage wins for Pedersen had been a significant purpose for the American squad, who have been depleted earlier than the race even started. Their basic classification hopeful Tao Geoghegan Hart didn’t begin the Tour as deliberate, following a fractured rib sustained on the Critérium du Dauphiné and subsequent Covid-19 an infection.
The sprinter had hoped so as to add to his two-year streak of Tour de France victories in addition to to contest the factors classification. He sat second within the inexperienced jersey standings earlier than abandoning, 38 factors behind Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty).
The Gent-Wevelgem winner completed seventh on stage 1 and fourth on stage 3, the primary actual bunch dash of this 12 months’s race, and would – beneath regular circumstances – have been one of many favourites on the lumpy parcours of stage 8.
Lidl-Trek’s Basic Supervisor, Luca Guercilena, added that the main target would now flip to supporting climber Giulio Ciccone, who received the mountains classification eventually 12 months’s Tour.
“It’s a huge bummer to lose Mads like this, after having misplaced Tao [Geoghegan Hart] earlier than the beginning,” Guercilena mentioned. “That mentioned we are going to nonetheless be within the recreation with Cicco and we are going to work out the plan B to race aggressively.”
