Another rider to miss out on competition for the next few weeks is Victor Hugo Peña (Phonak), who crashed in the neutralisation zone of Paris-Roubaix last Sunday, even before the race had really started. The Colombian fell with his right shoulder and chest onto the edge of the pavement, and suffered a fracture of the thoracic vertebrae. Nevertheless, he continued to chase the peloton for another 20 km until the pain became unbearable and he abandoned. It was only after the race had finished in Roubaix that Peña's injury was diagnosed in the local hospital.
Peña is the second rider in the Phonak team unable to compete at the moment, after Fabrizio Guidi broke his arm at Gent-Wevelgem, forcing him to take a fairly long break. The Swiss team is therefore re-shuffling its line-ups for the next races, some riders having to be deployed more often than originally planned. "I hope Peña will be back in time to prepare himself for the Tour de France," Phonak manager John Lelangue commented.
