Picnic-PostNL riders John Degenkolb, Tim Naberman and Alex Edmondson all sustained injuries when a crash on the left-hand side of the peloton rippled back through the group, taking down several riders with 126km to go at the Tour of Flanders.
The trio left the race and were taken to hospital for x-rays and medical checks. Their team reported that those checks revealed multiple fractures for Degenkolb, a broken wrist for Naberman and a sprained ankle for Edmondson.
“John hit the ground with quite a lot of force in the crash, and the in-race medical team immediately suspected a fractured collarbone. He was transferred to the local race hospital where further checks and x-rays were conducted. Those then unfortunately confirmed that John indeed fractured his collarbone, alongside his wrist and elbow on the same side,” team Picnic-PostNL doctor Camiel Aldershof reported in a release.
“He will undergo surgery on his wrist, before a period of recovery. Timelines can often change but we expect him to be out of competition for two months.”
According to the team, Naberman currently doesn’t need surgery but “we will do another control and check on him this coming week to see if that situation changes, but of course he will be out of racing too while he recovers.”
As for Edmondson, he will rest for the upcoming week.
The timing of the extended injury absence is particularly tough for the Classics focussed Degenkolb, who told Cyclingnews at the start of the season that his passion for the Classics still burned. He lined up for the 14th time to race Flanders on Sunday and the experienced team captain was hoping to deliver a strong ride over the cobbles in preparation for his favourite race next weekend, Paris-Roubaix. But the 36-year-old German, winner of the 2015 edition of the Hell of the North, will now be unable to start in Compiègne.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Emīls Liepiņš (Q36.5) also went down in the crash. Van der Poel was able to rejoin the peloton and battle for victory, ultimately finishing third while both Wellens and Liepiņš pulled out.
UAE reported on social media that Wellens escaped “with some abrasions on his right side.” Q36.5 wrote on social media that Liepiņš has “multiple abrasions and will be monitored for possible concussion symptoms.”
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