RadioShack's Andreas Klöden was amongst the lucky riders who crashed on stage nine - and remained lucky. After undergoing x-rays in a hospital in the evening, the German was reassured he had not broken anything, suffering only hematoma and severe muscle tenseness on his back.
Still, team spokesman Philippe Maertens told Radsport-news.com that "Klöden is going to do a test ride on Monday and then decide if he'll continue the race."
The 36-year-old, one of the team's GC hopes, lost eight seconds on the other favourites on the crash-marred stage. His teammates Janez Brajkovic and Chris Horner were forced to abandon the event earlier in the week.
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1