Pauwels breaks leg

Rabobank Continental rider Serge Pauwels has no luck. After barely recovering from a collarbone fracture in the beginning of April, the Belgian crashed in the second stage of the Thüringen Rundfahrt and broke his thigh bone. Another 30 riders went down with him as they were driving through a curve in a village. Pauwels underwent surgery the very same evening in a German hospital. The 21 year-old will be out of competition for several months.

Although his teammate Kai Reus took the stage win, team manager Nico Verhoeven is upset. "Serge's crash and its consequences sensibly alter our mood," he said.