Crash in Tour de France opener leaves Martin battered once again

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It was in the opening road stage of the Tour de France in 2012 that Tony Martin crashed hard, breaking his scaphoid before enduring a long battle through to stage nine's time trial where he eventually withdrew from the race. Twelve months on and the reigning world TT champion finds himself in a similar situation but this time there are no reported fractures.

Martin was one of many who crashed inside the final kilometers of the hectic first stage on Corsica and while many came away with superficial wounds, the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step rider's injuries gave reason for concern.

"Tony Martin crashed during the final kilometers of Tour de France Stage 1 on Saturday. He finished the race, but after the finish he was transported to the General Hospital of Bastia, where he passed a few examinations," read a team statement.

Following his post-crash check-up Martin was cleared of any fractures. He will however, have a few difficult nights ahead of him - if he does decide to continue - as his body attempts to recover from its wounds. The decision to start Stage 2 from Bastia to Ajaccio will reportedly be made on Sunday morning.

"He has a concussion and a contusion on his left lung. He also has soft tissue damages on his hip, chest, left knee and shoulder, and also on his back. Furthermore, he has a very deep wound 5cm wide on his left elbow that reaches his muscles, which causes a lot of pain and a problem moving his arm," continued the statement.

"Any decision on his participation at the second stage of the Tour de France will be taken after considering how the clinical situation evolves during the night."