Multiple crashes in the final kilometres of the men’s Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday took a significant toll, with several teams delivering updates on rider injuries into the evening.
Lotto riders Jasper De Buyst and Lionel Taminiaux were caught up, with the latter coming out of the day worse, having suffered a collapsed lung.
“In one of the crashes today in Brugge-De Panne, Jasper De Buyst and Lionel Taminiaux were involved,” said Lotto on social media. “Jasper mainly suffered abrasions from his crash. Lionel is worse off – he has a collapsed lung and a broken rib and will spend the night in the hospital.”
Cofidis riders Damien Touzé, Milan Fretin and Piet Allegaert also fell in one of the earlier crashes. Fretin's and Allegaert's wounds were clearly visible with their kits ripped, but the trio of Cofidis riders were among those who eventually made it over the line.
"Nothing broken (I think), but a lot of wounds," said Theuns. "Let's try to heal well and see what the coming days will bring…"
One of the favourites, Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep), didn't make the finish. The European champion got through the earlier crashes and looked like he could challenge in the reduced group sprint, but ultimately, a nasty fall at a split in the road at just over 1km to go brought him down, along with several others.
"Following the crash, Tim suffered abrasions to his right leg and arm, and a small open wound under the right knee, which required stitching," said Soudal-Quickstep. "He will now take some rest this evening, after which his participation in the future races will be decided."
Gent-Wevelgem was penned in as the next race up for Merlier, with the Tour of Flanders also on the schedule ahead of Scheldeprijs and Paris-Roubaix.
It was a tough day out for Huub Artz (Intermarché-Wanty), too. The 22-year-old was racing his first WorldTour event but ended his day in hospital for checks along with teammate Gerben Thijssen, who at least rode through to finish after getting caught in the carnage.
Visma-Lease a Bike's Olav Kooij also hit the ground, but according to his team, "the damage seems to be limited to abrasions".
"There are still some big goals ahead for him, so we’ll have to see how he recovers from this crash,” said team directeur sportif Grischa Niermann.
The Classic Brugge-De Panne Women runs on Thursday, March 27.
Cyclingnews will continue to add further updates as they become available.
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