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

Although the cycling season has only been underway for a month, the injury list for many teams is already long. On Friday, there were many crashes in several races. In the UAE Tour, Dylan Groenewegen hit the ground hard in one of the many crashes in the final. In the Volta ao Algarve, Romain Bardet had to abandon the race. IDLProCycling.com has listed the names of those affected.

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.

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Movistar also has injured riders after UAE crashes

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 several bruises on his back.

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.

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Bardet and Iúri Leitão crash in the Algarve

After everything seemed to be running fairly smoothly in the Ruta del Sol and Classic Var, things went wrong again in the Tour of the Algarve. Following Jordi Meeus' winning sprint, Romain Bardet had already crashed earlier in the final. The French rider was not feeling 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 in regards to his future health, he has abandoned the race,” his team said in a statement.

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.  

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