Egan Bernal, Adam Yates and Dani Martinez crashed out of overall contention of the Vuelta a Burgos, going down hard in the final 20km of the opening stage of the five-day Spanish stage race.
The three Ineos Grenadier leaders were riding in the peloton as they closed down a breakaway, when a touch of wheels appeared to spark the crash. Several other riders were also involved.
All three Ineos riders got up to complete the stage but rode slowly to the finish, finishing several minutes down on stage winner Edward Planckaert (Alpecin-Fenix). Talented young Spanish rider Carlos Rodriguez also lost time after waiting for his team leaders. Rodriguez replaced Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar in the Vuelta a Burgos after he tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from the Tokyo Olympics and before flying to Spain.
"The trio have all been assessed post-race and have suffered contusions and abrasions, but will not need to go to hospital for further checks at this stage," Ineos said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. "They will be monitored overnight by the INEOS Grenadiers medical team ahead of Wednesday’s second stage."
Pavel Sivakov and Jhonatan Narváez were in the break of the day after crosswinds split the peloton mid-stage but the move was caught 3.8km from the uphill finish near El Castillo, in the outskirts of Burgos.
Bernal recently returned to Europe after spending time in Colombia following his Giro d’italia victory and recovery from the COVID-19 virus. He finished 16th at the Clásica San Sebastian, immediately showing he was on form for the second part of the 2021 season.
Yates rode the road race at the Tokyo Olympics and also returned to Spain to ride the Clásica San Sebastian and the Vuelta a Burgos.
Bernal, Yates and Martinez are riding the Vuelta a Burgos as final preparation for the rapidly approaching Vuelta a España, where they are expected to share team leadership.
Ineos Grenadiers have still to confirm their final eight-rider line-up for the Vuelta, with Tom Pidcock and Sivakov also in the running, as the team search for their second Grand Tour win of the year and their third Vuelta success after wins by Chris Froome in 2017 and 2011.
