Maxim Van Gils taken to hospital following Bessèges crash caused by a car on the course
Belgian out of the race on his Red Bull debut but luckily escapes major injury
Pre-race favourite Maxim Van Giles is out of the Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard after the Belgian rider crashed on stage 2.
The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider went into a ditch with 17km to, with sports director Heinrich Haussler telling us that a car came onto the course, causing riders to brake and leading to a domino effect that eventually led to Van Gils crashing. Several other riders also hit the deck at the same time.
Although he escaped serious injury, he was treated on the Red Bull bus at the finish before we witnessed him limp into a team car and driven to the local hospital by the team’s doctor. He declined to talk but didn’t finish the stage as a result of his injuries.
According to Haussler, the new signing was forced to stop alongside teammate Jordi Meeus due to untimely mechanicals inside the final 20km of racing. Once the pair made contact with the back of the bunch, the peloton were forced to slow dramatically due to the car up ahead.
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