Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) has abandoned the Vuelta a España after a crash on stage 3.
The Canadian had come into the race as his team's general classification leader with the target of a top-10 finish but that all came unstuck early on Sunday's stage.
Cameras did not capture the incident but Woods appeared to have tangled with teammate Itamar Einhorn after nearly 50km of racing on the flat and largely quiet stage.
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He quickly got to his feet but was attended to by a race doctor, who proceeded to provide treatment to his temple, suggesting a possible head impact and potential concussion.
It appeared that Woods passed any initial concussion protocol as he got back on his bike and carried on, but he soon climbed off his bike and into a team car.
"Unfortunately, Mike Woods has been forced to abandon the race after crashing," read an initial statement from the team. He initially got back on the bike but is now in the ambulance on the way to hospital for further observation."
After the stage, the team detailed Woods' injuries.
"We are pleased to report that scans confirmed he did not sustain any acute fractures in the crash. Mike did sustain a concussion, and multiple abrasions which have been treated."
Woods' abandon is a major blow to Israel-Premier Tech, who are in serious danger of relegation from the WorldTour. A strong GC finish at the Vuelta would have gone a long way to amassing the UCI ranking points needed to stay in cycling's top tier.
The team have Chris Froome in their ranks, although the two-time Vuelta winner's preparation was hampered by COVID-19, while the likes of sprinter Einhorn, Daryl Impey, Patrick Bevin, and Alessandro De Marchi will now have even more pressure to come up with stage results.
