Crash ends Tour of Scandinavia hopes for Demi Vollering and Niamh Fisher-Black

Demi Vollering and Niamh Fisher-Black’s Tour of Scandinavia hopes look to be over after the SD Worx duo crashed in the last four kilometers of Friday’s fourth stage. Both riders were able to finish the stage, five minutes back on the winner.

The team has not yet given an update on Vollering’s condition, but the Dutchwoman was seen on the television broadcast being assessed by race medics at the finish. Team SD Worx confirmed Saturday Fisher-Black is out of the race with a “small fracture in the end of her collarbone.”

It is not yet known if Vollering will start stage 5 on Saturday.

The pair crashed on the exit of a roundabout in the finale of Friday’s stage, which also saw teammate Anna Shackley and Arianna Fidanza of BikeExchange-Jayco go down. Shackley was able to get up quickly and finished only 52 seconds in arrears.

As the crash occurred just outside the 3km to go mark, the crashed riders did not benefit from the rule that gives riders who crash in the finale the same finishing time as the winner.

Also read: Tour of Scandinavia stage 4: Alex Manly wins from late break in aggressive day out

Even if Vollering is able to continue the race, she is now more than five and half minutes down on yellow jersey Marianne Vos and the GC favorites.

The team’s best-placed rider is now Blanka Vas, 15th on GC and only 30 seconds back. Climber Anna Shackley is 1:28 down on the lead.

Tour de France Femmes runner-up Vollering had been a favorite for tomorrow’s summit finish atop the Norjefell climb and the overall classification at the Tour of Scandinavia, with Fisher-Black a second climbing option for the team.

After four relatively flat stages, 58 riders remain within a minute of the race lead and the GC looks set to be decided on tomorrow’s final climb.