Rigoberto Urán out of Tour de Romandie following second crash in a week

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (VN) — Rigoberto Urán (EF Education EasyPost) has been forced out of the Tour de Romandie following a heavy crash on stage 1. The Colombian was taken down in a huge fall with just under 15km to go. Race leader at the time, Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers), was also involved after a touch of wheels in the middle of the peloton during a shallow but fast descent.

Urán would finish the stage in 119th position, and in a small group of riders that trailed stage winner Dylan Teuns (Bahrain Victorious) by over ten minutes. However the Colombian was in clear discomfort as he crossed the line, with his jersey ripped in several places and skin missing from his right shoulder. The crash was Urán’s second in less than a week after the Colombian was also involved in the massive pile up at Liége-Bastogne-Liége that left world champion Julian Alaphilippe in hospital with multiple fractures.

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• Giro d’Italia: Hugh Carthy, Simon Carr, Magnus Cort spearhead EF Education’s ambitions

“Rigoberto Urán will not start in the second stage of the Tour de Romandie after suffering a shoulder injury due to a fall in the final kilometers of stage one. He will undergo further scans tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury,” EF Education EasyPost wrote on social media Wednesday evening.

Urán’s departure leaves the American team with just four riders in the race. They started with five athletes due to crashes and illnesses but Neilson Powless remains in contention for a top-ten overall. The American is currently 13th on GC, 26 seconds down on Dennis’ leading time.