Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step)
(Image credit: Sirotti)
The Tour de France lost its first rider of the race Sunday evening when Jurgen Van De Walle was forced to pull out after crashing during stage 2.
The Quick Step rider hit the deck after 35 kilometres and was immediately taken to hospital in Marseille where he was diagnosed with a punctured right lung and a fractured left collar-bone.
Quick Step’s press manager Alessandro Tegner described what happened: "There was something in the road, maybe a rock, and Jurgen was the first rider to go down. He landed hard as the peloton was going pretty fast."
The rider will remain in hospital for further observation.