Three riders out after crash-filled Vuelta a España stage 2

Groupama-FDJ’s Guillaume Martin was the first major casualty. He crashed heavily with 40km to go and was forced to abandon. Later scans revealed two fractured vertebrae, a major setback for a rider who had been positioned as one of the team’s protected riders.

The defining moment came minutes later. On a treacherous roundabout, a Q36.5 rider lost control and triggered a chain reaction that felled around twenty riders. Jonas Vingegaard and Tom Pidcock both hit the ground but managed to remount, the Dane even going on to win the stage and pull on red. But amid the chaos, others paid a heavier price.

Axel Zingle was caught in the pile-up and dislocated his shoulder, somehow forcing it back into place before continuing. Incredibly, the same injury happened again later in the stage. The Frenchman gritted his teeth to reach the finish, but on Monday morning Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed that he would not continue. “Our medical staff has decided that Axel is not fit enough to pursue the Vuelta. His first Grand Tour has come to an early end,” the team wrote. 

Zingle himself had sounded defiant on Sunday evening. “We’ll see, but the intention is to just keep riding,” he said after the stage.

Movistar also suffered as Jorge Arcas was among those caught in the mass crash. Like Zingle, he fought through the pain to finish. “He gave everything to reach the line, a true example of perseverance,” the team said in a statement. Hospital scans later confirmed a fracture in the upper part of his left femur, forcing his withdrawal.

The Vuelta a España continues on Monday with 181 riders remaining for a 134.6 km stage (read our preview) from San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres.