Reto Hollenstein (IAM Cycling) crashed in the first kilometer (Image credit: Presse Sports/B.Papon)
The first stage after the second rest day of the Tour de France proved to be a nightmare for IAM Cycling's Reto Hollenstein who crashed after a touch of wheels as the peloton made its way out of Carcassonne. The Swiss rider finished in 161st place, crossing the line in the gruppeto 26:47 down on Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo).
Hollenstein was examined in the Tour de France's mobile clinic after finishing in Bagneres-de-Luchon, which detected a pneumothorax of the right lung, in addition to multiple abrasions on his shoulder forcing him out of the race. The team already lost its leader, Mathias Frank, to a fractured femur in the final kilometre of stage 7.
The Tour debutante was forced to chase for 60km to make contact with the peloton with his collapsed lung, having waited for five minutes at the side of the road after crashing. A team statement read that Hollensten was in tears after the longest stage in the 2014 Tour.
He will undergo further checks by scanner to be undertaken in hospital to assess the extent of his injuries
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