Narváez suffers several stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures in Tour Down Under crash

UAE Team Emirates-XRG have confirmed that Jhonatan Narváez has suffered several stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures following the Ecuadorian’s crash on stage 4 of the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under.

Narváez was taken to the hospital for check-ups, where he and the team learned of his injuries, though he will not require surgery for now and is stable, but will remain in the hospital.

“Narváez was taken to hospital for precautionary spinal and neurological assessment. He has sustained several stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures that will not require surgery at this stage,” said Dr Adrian Rotunno, Medical Director of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. “He is currently stable and will be kept in hospital for further observation.”

Additionally, veteran Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen was involved in a separate crash during the stage, which also forced the 36-year-old to abandon the race. Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jake Stewart and Corbin Strong (both NSN) were also involved and abandoned. Stake Laengen is suspected to have sustained a rib injury but is also stable after visiting the hospital for an assessment.

"Laengen was also involved in a later incident and taken to the hospital for assessment. He has a suspected rib injury but is stable, and will be monitored further over the coming days."

It was a stage that had already been altered significantly as Willunga Hill, which was to be climbed three times, was removed from the route following an extreme fire danger rating and forecast temperatures of up to 43 degrees. 

Sitting second in the general classification before the stage start behind teammate Jay Vine, it was expected that the UAE duo would be looking to extend their advantage over the rest of the field on a climb where Narváez sealed both a stage win and ultimately the ochre jersey twelve months ago. In the end, Ethan Vernon won the stage, marking the thirteenth professional victory of his career and sixth at the WorldTour level. 

The final stage of the Tour Down Under takes place in and around the Adelaide Hills, starting and finishing in Stirling. Race director Stuart O’Grady described the finale as “almost like a world championship or national championship circuit where there will be so many opportunities to attack.”

Vine’s task of defending the ochre jersey has become more complicated after losing two teammates, although his current lead of 1:03 over Swiss champion Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) remains comfortable.