Yesterday's fast pace on stage four to Mont Ventoux with the region's typical Mistral northerly wind (a tailwind for much of the day) caused some damage in the Dauphiné peloton. With 40 kilometres to go, Anthony Charteau (Bouygues Telecom) crashed heavily and briefly lost consciousness after his helmet broke into pieces. Fortunately, the 25 year-old only suffered light concussion and will not need to stay in hospital, according to French website velo101.com.
Further victims of crashes include José-Luis Rubiera (Discovery Channel), Massimo Giunti (Fassa Bortolo) and Matej Jurco (Domina Vacanze), who all went ahead and finished the stage despite bruises and scratches on knees and hips.
