Team Milram suffered a blow in today's stage four of the Eneco Tour, with their top placed rider Christian Knees ending his day in the hospital. The German was involved in a crash 20 kilometers after the stage got underway from St. Lievens. Knees hit the pavement when a pair of riders crashed in front of him while navigating a traffic circle.
"It is really a pity, that I have to leave the race in this way. My legs were good and I wanted to attack again in the Ardennes," said a frustrated Christian Knees following his visit at the hospital.
Germany's only ProTour squad has had its share of bad luck throughout the 2010 season, with several riders, including captains Fabian Wegmann and Gerald Ciolek, missing key races due to injury. The team will be folding at the end of the year since management couldn't find a replacement for Milram, who will be pulling its sponsorship at the end of the year. Knees lays claim to one of the season's bright spots, having won the German national championships earlier this year. Knees was fortunate to escape serious injury, and will now focus his efforts on the world championships.
"Two riders tangled right in front of me and forced me head first into a traffic island," he explained. "In the crash I received a lot of cuts around my eye and I had to get 15 stitches. Our doctor says that I can be back on the bike in three days. I will see how I recover from this injury and then get ready for the Worlds in Australia.“
Knees' exit from the race is already the third for the ProTour squad. Friday saw Artur Gajek and Thomas Fothen also abandon the race.
"Christian was our best rider in the ProTour stage race, and was in a promising position in the Top Ten overall," lamented sports director Ralf Grabsch. "This is a hard blow for us. We hope that Christian is back on his bike quickly. We must now make the best of the situation at the Eneco Tour."