Dylan Groenewegen is out of the UAE Tour ahead of the sprint-friendly stage 6 on Saturday after the Dutchman crashed hard on stage 5.
The Jayco-AlUla sprinter was one of many riders who hit the deck in the final of Friday's sprint stage at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. He's out of the race suffering with a concussion, according to a report in De Telegraaf.
Groenewegen had started his 2025 campaign at the AlUla Tour with two second-place finishes. He finished seventh on stage 4 in the UAE and now won't get a chance to fight for the win in Abu Dhabi Breakwater on Saturday.
"It's better than yesterday, but unfortunately I'm not allowed to start anymore because of a concussion," Groenewegen told De Telegraaf.
Groenewegen's withdrawal was confirmed by his team, who announced on social media that, "As a result of yesterday's crash at the UAE Tour, the decision was taken by our medical staff that Dylan Groenewegen will not start today's stage 6. Get better soon, Dylan!"
The 31-year-old isn't the only rider out of the race ahead of the penultimate stage. Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) also went down in the crash in the final kilometre of stage 5. Movistar announced on Saturday morning that he is a DNS "as a precaution after the fall".
18-year-old Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale neo-pro Paul Seixas is another rider out of the race. He abandons from 26th place after getting caught in a multi-rider crash late on stage 5.
The Frenchman went down 3.5km from the finish of the stage along with several other riders, including Pablo Castrillo and Carlos Rodríguez. He was set to start stage 6 after signing on and being presented to the crowd at the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club.
Even his teammates thought he was going to start the stage just minutes before racing started. However, his team announced on Saturday morning that Seixas was out of the race.
"Paul he needed some stitches on his elbow but I think he is OK," Decathlon AG2R leader Felix Gall told Cyclingnews. "it's just frustrating for all of us."
Ineos Grenadiers are also down a rider as Victor Langellotti heads home, having fallen in the same crash. The Monegasque rider was taking on his second race for the British squad and raced in the breakaway alongside race leader Tadej Pogačar yesterday.
However, his team announced that Langellotti suffered a broken collarbone in the crash yesterday, meaning he won't take part in this weekend's closing stages.
"The morale is still high, it's a shame for Victor. He was riding really well and was strong and he obviously did really good to get in the break yesterday with Tadej," Langellotti's Ineos teammate Josh Tarling told Cyclingnews on Saturday.
Tarling also confirmed that Ben Swift was in good enough shape to start the penultimate stage, despite being put onto a stretcher at yesterday's finish.
"Swifty is OK, he thought he broke his hip but it seems OK just bad bruising," he said.
Finally, Lars Craps makes it five riders who leave the UAE Tour ahead of stage 6. The Belgian was taking on his first WorldTour race with his new team Lotto, but the Belgian squad announced on Saturday that he was heading home. "He is still experiencing knee pain after a previous crash in Mallorca," Lotto said.
