The men’s field rolls out for the Inner Loop stage (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The second stage of the men's Tour of the Gila was marred by a number of crashes on the steep, narrow descent to Sapillo Creek 45km into the stage. Canyon Bicycle's Anthony Canevari, who was sitting second in the sprint classification after making the breakaway on stage 1, was the worst injured. He was transported from the scene and airlifted to El Paso, Texas where he was diagnosed with a broken pelvis.
Mike Pratt, the Canyon team's director, explained to Cyclingnews what happened.
"[Canevari] was working his way through the caravan [and] went through a tight corner on a narrow road decent. [He] got squeezed by a car and high-sided into a rocky embankment. His teammate Pat Casey was with him a few wheels back. Pat stopped to render aid. He realized it was serious."
The ambulance following the race quickly arrived and transported Canevari from the scene, and then arranged for his transport to El Paso, where he will need to undergo surgery.
His teammate Casey dropped out of the race, giving up his opportunity to finish his first Tour of the Gila to stay with his teammate.
Team Smartstop's Julian Kyer also went down and suffered a broken collarbone. Angus Morton (Jelly Belly) also crashed but continued on and finished 14:23 down suffering only bruises and road rash.
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Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
