General classification hopeful Marlen Reusser (Movistar) has pulled out of the UAE Tour Women after a crash on stage 2 left her needing stitches.
Reusser, one of the pre-race favourites for the overall, went down in a high-speed crash in the sprint finish on Friday, suffering cuts and lacerations to her knee and hand. The Swiss rider managed to finish the stage, but after medical examinations, the decision was made to not continue on Saturday.
As Reusser pointed out, the effects of the high-speed crash were remarkably forgiving, with all riders finishing stage 2 and only two other riders failed to start on stage 3 after the crash: Auke De Buysser (EF Education-Oatly) and Irma Siri (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo).
“I will now have to let my wounds heal until I can go back into training,” she concluded, before confirming that her next goal would remain Strade Bianche in a month’s time.
Though Reusser said pre-race that the GC showdown in the UAE may come “too soon” in her early season, she was still expected to be one of the overall contenders. In her absence, Movistar don’t have a top climber for Sunday’s stage, but can look to…
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