Haussler abandons Tour de Suisse after crash

The Cervelo TestTeam's Heinrich Haussler has withdrawn from the Tour de Suisse following the dramatic crash in the sprint on stage 4 in Wettingen. At the time of his crash, the German/Australian was leading the points classification in the race.

Team spokesman Geert Broekhuizen informed Cyclingnews of the Haussler's condition on Tuesday afternoon.

"He was taken to the hospital for an examination and stitches. He has a deep wound on his right elbow and will need to rest for a few days," Broekhuizen said.

Haussler was battling Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) for the stage victory in a high-speed sprint when the riders collided and both tumbled to the ground.

"I didn't see Cavendish coming," Haussler said. "He drove into my wheel and before I knew it, I went down and was lying on the ground. I could have won the stage today."

While both riders deviated from their line before running into each other, Cavendish was given a 30-second penalty by the race jury. The crash took down numerous riders including Milram's Gerald Ciolek and Tom Boonen (Quick Step), who escaped without serious injury.

The crash is the latest incident in a difficult season for Haussler. He was just returning to form after suffering from knee problems which shut him out of the Spring Classics.