Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) were taken to hospital by ambulance, and Linus Gerdemann (Milram) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Farnese Vini) were also involved.
Vanendert suffered cranio-facial trauma and an injury to his right knee, while Ten Dam also suffered a wounds to his head and hip. Gerdemann went down for the second time in as many days, but his team confirmed he sustained only bruises and will continue the race.
The German explained that he was not contesting the sprint, but a crowd barrier fell in front of him. He was unable to avoid it and somersaulted off his bike and landed on the barrier on his back.
"That was one of the worst crashes of my career. Fortunately I wasn't hurt. I had held myself out of the sprint on purpose, in order not to crash. Why all of a sudden a barrier lay in the road, I can't explain. At any rate, I turned a somersault over it and landed on it on my back. Apart from a few bruises and a shock, I am fine.”
Lampre's Damiano Cunego also remounted after the spill and crossed the line but hurt his right forearm. He went to the hospital for x-rays, according to his team.
CCC Polsat's Sylwester Janiszewsky and Tomasz Kiendys were also involved but did not require medical assistance.
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