Vingegaard also suffered a lung contusion and pneumothorax.

This Friday the Visma team revealed on social network ‘X’ that the Dane Jonas Vingegaardafter suffering broken collarbones and several ribs after being involved in a serious fall on Thursday at Itzulia (Back to the Basque Country)who was ahead of other important runners, including Remco Evenepoel and Primoz RoglicAfter further medical examination, he also had a pulmonary contusion and pneumothorax. “He is stable and had a good night. He has been admitted to the hospital,” the tweet says.

Despite the severity of the injury, which interrupted the Dane’s program three months before Tour de Francethe prognosis comes as a relief, given the severity of the accident and the disturbing images seen live and on television.

Vingegaard, 27, was taken to hospital after spending long minutes on the shoulder in a motionless position. He was wearing a neck brace and a respirator when he was taken to the ambulance on a stretcher.

Of the eight riders involved in the accident, the Australian Jay Vine He was the longest immobile on earth. Treated by emergency services, he was also taken to hospital.

“He suffered fractures to the cervical spine and two vertebrae in his back,” said Dr. Adriano Rotunno, his UAE team doctor. “Fortunately, there were no neurological complications or brain damage,” he added, specifying that the cyclist remained hospitalized for observation.

“Falls are something you never want to see in cycling. This Thursday, unfortunately, we saw a very serious one. I wish Jay and all my peloton mates a speedy recovery,” wrote Tadej Pogacar, recent winner of Volta a. Catalunya and rivals Vingeaard, Roglic and Evenepoel for the Tour.

Evenepoel, who jumped into a ditch and hit a tree before falling to the side of the road, and Roglic were also seriously injured. They managed to pick themselves up but their teams, Soudal Quick-Step for the Belgian and Bora-Hansgrohe for the Slovenian, immediately announced their withdrawal. Roglic, wearing the leader’s jersey, left the scene in a car, giving the thumbs up.

The accident occurred about 30km from the finish line of the 4th stage, which will take the peloton from Echarri-Aranaz to Legutio. On a downhill curve, several runners left the road and crashed into rocks and a concrete culvert, some even into trees.

According to Pello Bilbao, the road at that point has uneven asphalt due to tree roots. “We arrived too quickly. The fall should make our cyclists think again, because we created a danger,” he said.

At first, the organizers suspended the stage. Then, the six men who escaped the time of the fall were able to continue the race, unlike the peloton, which was neutralized.

South Africa Louis Meintjes (Intermarché – Wanty) won the stage in Legutio, but his time did not count in the general classification. “Given the circumstances, this is not the taste of success,” he said.

“At the front, when everyone is fighting for the top positions, if someone goes into the corner, anything can happen. These pictures are hard to see,” he commented. Sepp KussVingegaard’s teammate and winner of the last Vuelta a España.

“The road was really bumpy at that point and we went in a bit too fast. There was nothing we could do, so I don’t think it was at fault,” he said. the Danish Mattias Skjelmosenew race leader and posed with a yellow jersey in his hand as a sign of respect for the accident suffered by his fellow racers.

This fall comes after a series of serious accidents in bicycle races this spring.

Last Wednesday, Wout Van Aert was involved in a massive ‘Across Flanders’. The Belgian champion suffered burns to his back and, like his teammate Vingegaard, fractures to his collarbone, ribs and sternum.

On Wednesday, Roglic and Juan Ayuso They had been involved in a pretty serious fall in the 3rd stage of Itzulia, but they were back in the race.

The next race on Vingegaard’s program is the Critérium Dauphiné, in June, in preparation for the Tour de France. A goal that remains possible, depending on his recovery.