Concerns for Groenewegen and Movistar after battlefield at UAE Tour, Bardet out in Algarve, Leitao crashes into wall

First up is the UAE Tour, which ended in a bunch sprint on Friday. Unfortunately, two crashes in the final kilometers disrupted the race, and winner Tim Merlier even crashed after the finish line. The European champion won in a group of only twenty riders; the large pack was further behind.

Groenewegen crossed the line badly battered. According to his team, Jayco-AlUla, he was treated immediately and will be monitored Friday night before deciding whether the Dutch rider will continue. According to De Telegraaf, Groenewegen complained of a headache, which resulted in a concussion test, among other things.

The team quickly announced the verdict on Saturday morning: He had to abandon the race. "It's better than yesterday, but unfortunately, I can not start because of a concussion," the Dutch sprinter said briefly. Groenewegen will have to wait a while longer for his first victory of the season. He came close with two second places in the AlUla Tour, but in the UAE Tour, he only finished seventh place on day four.  

Not only did Jayco-AlUla suffer setbacks, but Movistar also got beaten. GC rider Pablo Castrillo and sprint leader Fernando Gaviria were injured and did not look well in a video of the team. Castrillo immediately complained of pain in his right wrist and had to be comforted by his teammates on the bus. Gaviria seemed to have gotten away with quite a few bruises on his back but did not start on Saturday 'as a precaution.' The two cyclists did not suffer any broken bones.

The fifth stage results of the UAE Tour list many other names who finished in the rear but were recorded as finishing in Merlier's time. Many of them had a close call. Visma | Lease a Bike wrote in a press release that riders were only held up, and that was also the case for Picnic sprinter Fabio Jakobsen. Abandoning the race wasn't mentioned after the finish.

Did any riders lose time? Yes, certainly. INEOS team leader Carlos Rodriguez and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale duo Paul Seixas and Felix Gall were among those involved in a crash 3.5 kilometers from the finish. In addition to losing time, they also suffered scrapes and cuts. INEOS domestique Victor Langellotti withdrew with a broken collarbone, and Seixas could not continue the next day.

After things seemed to be running fairly smoothly in the Ruta del Sol and Classic Var, disaster struck again in the Tour of the Algarve. Behind Jordi Meeus' winning sprint, Romain Bardet had already crashed earlier in the final. The Frenchman was not doing well and was eventually taken out of the race by Picnic-PostNL.

"He was able to get back up, but after carrying out a check on him at the side of the road and to be safe regarding his future health, he has abandoned the race," his team said in a statement. Team manager Pim Ligthart explained to L'Equipe that Bardet had been casually riding his bike over a speed bump with one hand as he wanted to let another rider know he was getting too close. John Degenkolb confirmed this to Cyclingnews: "He never saw the speed bump and lost control."

Caja Rural was also frightened when Iúri Leitão suddenly found himself on the ground. The Portuguese cyclist, who had won the Trofeo Palma in January and took the title in the Scratch and Points Race at the European Track Cycling Championships, crashed hard into a wall in the final. His helmet appeared to have prevented significant damage, as the Portuguese cyclist still managed to finish.