Affected by crashes on several occasions during his pro career, Team Movistar’s Maurico Soler has once again experienced bad luck and has crashed out of the Tour de Suisse.
The stage two winner was sitting second overall in the race, just 54 seconds behind Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD), and was expected to fight hard for the overall classification in the days ahead. His chances of winning the race are now over.
Soler was involved in an accident approximately thirteen kilometres after the start of the stage in Tobel-Tägerschen. Several spectators were also involved, and were treated at the scene. Soler’s injuries are yet to be officially confirmed, but he was airlifted to hospital from the scene. Hbvl.be has reported that he has sustained a fractured skull.
The race was briefly neutralised, then started again without the Colombian.
Soler made a name for himself when he won a stage plus the King of the Mountains title in the 2007 Tour de France. Since then his career has been hampered by a number of crashes, plus resulting wrist and knee problems.
He showed a fine return to form this week when he clocked his first win since 2007. He went clear with Fränk Schleck (Leopard Trek) and Damiano Cuneo (Lampre-ISD) on Sunday’s mountain stage to Crans Montana, then dropped them inside the final kilometre.
He hit the line twelve seconds clear of Cunego and Schleck, taking over the race lead. And while he conceded it the next day when Cunego finished second to Peter Sagan (Liquigas), he was still very much in the running for the overall win.
Soler had been on Team Movistar’s provisional lineup for the Tour de France. His chances of making the race are now very uncertain, particularly if the reports of a skull fracture prove to be correct.