By Susan Westemeyer A mass crash near the beginning of Sunday's Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne took out a...
Nicolas Jalabert (Agritubel) on the pavement in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne; he crashed in the race finale. (Image credit: AFP)
By Susan Westemeyer
A mass crash near the beginning of Sunday's Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne took out a number of riders. Quick Step's Paolo Bettini was taken to the hospital but had only superficial injuries, his team said. Mickael Larpe of Roubaix Lille Metropole and High Road's Adam Hansen suffered numerous cuts. Aivaras Baranauskas, also of Roubaix Lille Metropole, had a deep cut above his lip and lost some teeth.
Nicolas Jalabert (Agritubel) crashed near the end of the race, ripping open his left elbow and hand, but the Frenchman still managed to finish ninth on the day.
However, there were more serious injuries, too, even in addition to Bart Dockx's broken hip in a later crash. Marcus Ljungqvist, from CSC, lay on the ground unconscious for a few minutes with a serious concussion. A scan showed no additional problems, but he was held overnight in hospital.
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