Olaf Pollack was looking to win the mass sprint finish in the first stage of the Niedersachsen Rundfahrt Wednesday in Bremen, Germany, until a crash brought him down only 100 meters before the finish line. He was taken directly to the hospital, where a broken collarbone was diagnosed. His Weisenhof-Felt teammate Robert Wagner was also involved in the crash but came away with multiple scrapes and cuts, as well as a bruised abdomen.
"That is a very bitter end for us today," said Jens Heppner, Sport Director for the German Professional Continental team. "We could prepare the sprint with four riders, and were in an outstanding position with Olaf Pollack in the lead. This crash not only cost us the win, we also lost two important riders in Olaf Pollack and Robert Wagner, and that is more than irritating."
