A race committee car knocked into Leopard Trek's Robert Wagner during the E-3 Prijs, breaking his leg and putting an end to his Spring season. He must now wait four to six weeks before racing again.
During the race last weekend, the German gave eventual race winner Fabian Cancellara his rear wheel after the Italian puncture. On his way back to the peloton, a race committee car hit him. “He knocked me off my bike,” Wagner told Radsport-News.com. He had to abandon, as “the pain made it impossible to continue.”
However, he still got back in the saddle the next day at Gent-Wevelgem, but had to abandon there too, after only 20 km.
Subsequent medical exams showed that he had broken the upper shinbone. He will not need surgery, team doctor Andreas Gösele said on the team website: "I have recommended a straightforward treatment for Robert. When treated with care, he will completely recover from the fracture.”
The fracture knocks Wagner, 28, out of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. “I was set to ride the Classics, and since we have defending champion Cancellara and I would have had the honour of riding for him, so it is of course extra frustrating,” he said.
"It’s always a pity having to replace a rider,” said Directeur Sportif Torsten Schmidt. “Robert, in particular, has been a fantastic support to his captain.”
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
