Miguel Minguez was first to attack second time up the climb.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Team Euskaltel wating for the start.(Image credit: Sonja Csury)
Something about Canadian roads and riders from the Euskaltel-Euskadi team just don’t seem to mix. For the second year running several riders from the team have been involved in a crash while out training for the upcoming Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec, according to a report in Het Nieuwsblad. Six riders went down, including team captain Samuel Sanchez, who was at a loss to explain the incident.
"A rider, lost concentration, must’ve touched a wheel, and went down," said Sanchez at the team hotel in Quebec. "I think it caught us off guard because [suddenly everyone] else was down. It’s [obviously] a really poor outcome of the training session."
Though the team has released no official information, Miguel Mínguez is reported to have been the most seriously injured and his participation for the September 9 race is now in doubt.
"Last year there were eight riders who went to the ground, this time there with six, it’s not ideal," said Sanchez. "Unfortunately [Mínguez] went down hardest and I would say he is unlikely to start on Friday."
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec is the first of two WorldTour races taking place in Canada over the weekend, taking riders around a hilly 201.6 kilometre route around Quebec City.
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