Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Enric Mas (Movistar) saw their overall challenges at the Tour de France ruined when they both crashed on the descent of the Alto del Vivero in the finale of stage 1.
The two riders went down in the same crash with 23km to go as the pace ratcheted up in the reduced peloton on the run-in to Bilbao.
Mas was forced to abandon with what appeared to be a shoulder injury, while Carapaz spent more than five minutes on the roadside before he gingerly remounted. The Ecuadorian champion had cuts to both knees and appeared to be in some difficulty as he attempted to pedal to the finish many minutes behind the peloton.
Team Movistar reported that Mas has severe pain in the right shoulder area, and he will be examined at a hospital.
Carapaz finished over 15 minutes behind the stage winner Adam Yates, cheered home sympatheically by the crowds on the road side.
"He looked to be in quite a bit of pain when he came in there, which is to be expected because I think he came down pretty hard. It’s a blow. It can happen to anyone on any day of the race. There weren’t crashes today so I think it magnifies the impact of that one," EF Education-EasyPost directeur sportif Tom Southam told Cyclingnews.
Carapaz, who arrived from Ineos in the off-season, began this Tour as EF's leader for the general classification, but his time loss and injuries will force a revision to the team's plans for the remainder of the race.
Neilson Powless showed his form by leading the race over the Vivero to take the first king of the mountains jersey of the race, and the American is the team's best placed rider on GC, albeit already some 1:42 behind Adam Yates.
Rigoberto Uran, who placed on the podium of the 2017 Tour, lost over five minutes on Saturday's stage. EF's Tour squad also includes Alberto Bettiol and Magnus Cort, who will now have designs on stage wins.
"We need to work out what the next steps are," Southam said. "But if you look at our team, there are plenty of guys who can step up to the plate and can do stuff. We’ve got plenty of other options. It’s not like we came here with Richard and seven other guys to ride for him."
More to follow…
