Riders also hurt in various crashes during rainy finale
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A photographer takes a tumble on a day of spills(Image credit: Sirotti)
A crash after the finish line went into the line of photographers(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Jonathan Cantwell (Team Saxo Bank) was involved in a nasty crash(Image credit: Sirotti)
The race was packed full of incidents(Image credit: Sirotti)
Multiple injuries resulted from the many crashes in Wednesday's rain-soaked finale of the Scheldeprijs, with a photographer being the most seriously injured. She was hit by riders after they crossed the finish line.
Taz Darling, of Rouleur magazine, was standing closed to the finish line to photograph the riders as they crossed. However, the rain made the painted logos on the road slick, and a number of riders lost control of their bikes. Several of them, coming in at speed after the mass sprint, hit her and started a chain reaction, with a number of riders subsequently hitting the ground.
Darling was originally said to have broken a cheekbone. Road.cc, however, quotes Rouleur managing editor Ian Cleverly as saying her injuries include “collarbone, ruptured spleen [and] eye socket.”
The most seriously injured rider in that incident seem to be Jonathan Cantwell of Saxo Bank. He was taken to hospital for possible rib fractures.
Earlier in the race, Wouter Mol of Vacansoleil broke his collarbone in crash eight kilometres before the end. He has already had surgery, with a titanium plate and screws being installed. Or, as he tweeted, he “has been repaired”.
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