Normally staying close to the front is seen as the best tactic to avoid trouble, but a touch of wheels inside the final 100 metres meant that some of the riders right at the head of the peloton came down in a large crash. Aside from the American sprinter Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo), who was first to fall, several of the race’s general classification contenders also hit the deck.
Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Nibali) was one of the most worried, fearing the effects of how the fall could affect him in the next two stages. He talked about how things happened from his perspective; full details are here.
Lampre ISD rider Michele Scarponi, who finished one place ahead of Niballi in second overall in the 2011 Giro d’Italia, said he thought before the incident that he had done enough to steer clear of problems. “I tried to remain at the head of the race to avoid troubles. I was well positioned in the sprint, exactly where you wouldn’t expect such a crash to happen. But I couldn’t avoid it. I’ve got injuries at my right arm and pain in my left ankle but these are apparently only bruises.”
A third big name also fell, namely Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré stage winner Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto). He panicked but fortunately things didn’t turn out too badly for him, and he should be okay in the days ahead. “I couldn’t avoid the crash and I was scared,” he admitted. “A wave came from the right and pushed us towards the barricades. One of my knees hurts a bit but nothing too bad. I’m relieved.”
The Garmin-Cervélo team saw their big sprint hope go down. Tyler Farrar was taken to hospital for x-rays and, fortunately, no fracture has been found.
He will attempt to start tomorrow’s stage, although much will depend on how his injuries feel and how stiff he is.