Matteo Jorgenson out of Ardennes Classics after breaking collarbone in Amstel Gold Race crash

Visma-Lease a Bike leader Matteo Jorgenson crashed out of Amstel Gold Race with 42km to go, colliding with a rival on a damp, downhill corner and hitting the pavement hard.

It was Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers) who slid out first on the fast corner, made slicker by the rain, and Jorgenson, on his wheel, could not avoid crashing. The US rider landed on his right shoulder and arm before rolling onto his back.

Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed that Jorgenson had fractured his collarbone in the crash.

"Matteo broke his collarbone in his crash during the Amstel Gold Race. As a result, he will not start in the Flèche Wallonne or Liège–Bastogne–Liège," the team said.

Huub Artz (Lotto Intermarché) also went down in the same incident.

The three were in a small group with Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) when the crash happened, chasing down the remnants of the breakaway.

Vauquelin got back up and riding quickly, but Jorgenson stayed down, clearly in pain, and out of contention with the race on and the favourites riding away up the road.

"We had high expectations for this race and were well prepared. Everyone could see that Matteo was in great form, so it's very frustrating that our race ended this way," Visma-Lease a Bike sport director Frans Maassen said.

"As a team, we were well positioned throughout. The riders did a great job keeping Matteo in a good position all day. The goal was to be among the first to crest the Gulperberg and the Kruisberg. He looked fresh on those climbs, but unfortunately he crashed shortly afterward. That's extremely disappointing."

Shortly after, Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling) also crashed on the same corner.

Jorgenson had just returned from altitude to target the three Ardennes Classics, which were one of his key season goals, after missing the cobbled Classics in favour of this block.