Published March 12, 2018 01:49PM
Gaviria's Sanremo start unlikely due to broken hand
Colombian Fernando Gaviria must put everything on hold after a Tirreno crash and hand fracture, which requires surgery.
Fernando Gaviria crashed out of Tirreno-Adriatico in stage 6 and broke his hand. Photo: Tim De Waele/Getty Images
FANO, Italy (VN) — Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) must put everything on hold after a crash and hand fracture, which requires surgery, in Monday’s Tirreno-Adriatico stage 6 along Italy’s east coast.
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Gaviria fell with 7.5 kilometers to race and took down several others with him, including Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale). His shorts were ripped, but his left hand was the biggest concern.
“He has a displaced fracture of his first metacarpal of his left hand,” the orthopedic race doctor told the media at the X-ray vehicle.
“He’ll need surgery to reduce the fracture and fix it in place. One part of the bone has moved over another part. It needs to be put back in place.”
Gaviria seems almost certain to miss his upcoming races, including Milano-Sanremo next Saturday.
“To make a full recovery he’ll need at least four weeks,” added the doctor, “It’ll be difficult for him to ride before that, the fracture needs time to stabilize.”
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The Belgian WorldTour team confirmed a broken metacarpal in his left hand and said that he will need surgery.
Amazingly, Gaviria still finished the stage, 93rd place behind winner Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin). So far in 2018, he has won stages in the Vuelta a San Juan and Colombia Oro y Paz.
The 23-year-old was slated to lead Quick-Step’s Milano-Sanremo team with Elia Viviani, Philippe Gilbert, and Julian Alaphilippe this Saturday. From there, he was going to Gent-Wevelgem and to have a chance in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“If that’s right, then that’s the end of his classics campaign,” said sports director Wilfried Peeters by telephone.
“We still had Viviani in the line-up for Sanremo, so now, he’s the only sprinter in our team.
“It’s too bad not to have Gaviria there because that was his main goal of the classics. We can’t replace him, so that’s really bad.”
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Gaviria crashed in the final 200 meters of the 2016 Milano-Sanremo and last year, in 2017, he placed fifth.