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It may only be the second day of the 2023 WorldTour but already the crashes and injuries are piling up at the Tour Down Under, with numerous riders falling on the first road stage of the race and two having to abandon as a result.
After a wet opening prologue which saw several riders hit the deck on slippery corners in Adelaide, the 150km stage 1 in Tanunda was no different with several small crashes early on followed by more serious spills later on.
Robert Gesink (Jumbo-Visma) was the first rider to leave the race after falling. He and teammates Timo Roosen and Tim van Dijke were caught up in a crash at the side of the road 25km from the line, with the veteran unable to continue after hitting his head on the ground.
“We can only conclude that this is a bad day for the team,” directeur sportif Addy Engels said after the stage. “The loss of Robert is a significant setback. The crash appeared to be pretty bad. It quickly became obvious that he could not continue on his way.
“He is doing well, fortunately, given the circumstances, but we must monitor him closely. Before we create a thorough strategy for tomorrow’s stage, we must first recover from this tough day.”
There would be more carnage to come on the run to the sprint finish, too, as several riders hit the ground hard in the finale. Chris Harper (Jayco-AlUla) appears to be the worst off of those who did so, the Australian fracturing his collarbone in the process and ruling himself out of starting stage 2.
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), who finished second in the prologue, would be treated after the stage for abrasions to his knees and elbows after crashing. His team have confirmed that he’ll be assessed again before Thursday’s second stage, while Bora-Hansgrohe have said the same about their sprinter Jordi Meeus, who crashed twice on stage 1.
Along with Gesink, Patrick Bevin (Team DSM) also left the race during the stage. The New Zealander left the race following a crash, with injuries sustained during the Schwalbe Classic criterium also contributing to his withdrawal.
The opening day of the race had seen a spate of riders fall foul of the tricky conditions, most sliding out on a wet spot on one of the last corners of the course.
The unlucky Van Dijke was among those to go down, and he was joined by Emils Liepins (Trek-Segafredo), Jensen Plowright (Groupama-FDJ), Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost), and Chris Hamilton (Team DSM), among others.
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