The fifth stage of the event was held today Tour of the Dauphiné 2024which was neutralized, and therefore a winner was not declared, due to the group crash involving Primož Roglič And Remco Evenepoel. Both had already been victims of the terrible accident atItzulia 2024and even today they took a big risk.
Patrick Lefevere: “Nobody’s to blame for the fall”
“All of ours have some bruises or bruisesexcept Antoine Huby, he will also need some stitches. I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault in this case, neither the runners nor the organizers. The jury had decided to move the safe zone from 3 km to 4 km due to a danger point. It was all signposted and they weren’t even going too fast. And then suddenly a heavy rain came, while now the sun is shining again. This was enough to bring down the entire group, the rider in the very last position also overturned. Over the next three days in the mountains we will see what Remco Evenepoel is capable of and what he still needs to refine for the Tour. I leave the tactical plan to the specialists of our team”.
Remco Evenepoel: “There was nervousness in the group, everyone wanted to stay in front”
“I hurt my right side, but I have no fractures, otherwise I wouldn’t be here now. Someone in fifth or sixth hit a front wheel and skidded off, after which there was a bowling effect. I almost managed to save myself, but a bicycle ended up under my rear wheel. I tried to brake, but I somersaulted forward and landed on my head and shoulder. My helmet saved me today. I felt my shoulder twitch again, it was bleeding too. It was painful and felt bad for a moment, but it’s all good. What is certain is that this is another dark day for cycling. We weren’t fighting for the top positions, but that descent wasn’t even complicated. There was nervousness in the group, everyone wanted to be in front because it was very wet and slippery, but that’s part of cycling. I wasn’t angry, but I thought: ‘It’s been four or five days since I returned and we’re still in this situation?’. This causes frustration, especially when you know what awaits you in three weeks. I don’t want to take any risks.”
Primož Roglič: “Retirement? I’ll go to the doctor and get checked.”
“I fell on my shoulder and that’s not a good thing, because I had an operation a couple of years ago. Now we need to check to be sure what condition it is in. All in all it definitely went better for me Compared to other runners, I still managed to get to the finish line. It’s just bad that these things happen. Withdraw? At the moment I can’t say anything, I will go to the doctor and we will do the checks, then we will see how to proceed. When the first riders went to the ground I couldn’t do much to avoid the fall, I didn’t have much choice.”
Thierry Govenou: “Five ambulances were not enough”
“50 riders fell. The doctor told me that five operations were needed, then obviously we will have to wait for the results to find out more. Surely many runners will have to be treated tonight. Neutralization? We discussed this decision. After about ten minutes we checked in with the medical service, which was full, despite the five ambulances we had running. NoThey weren’t enough, so we had to call other ambulances and then hope to be able to leave again, but it took a long time. The riders were in the rain and at that point the jury and I decided to make this choice. In these moments everyone has a say. We listened to the riders, but first of all the opinion of the doctors mattered, who made us understand that it would take a long time.”
