17 Aug 2018
Tough day at the BinckBank Tour
Owain Doull was sadly forced to abandon the BinckBank Tour after suffering a nasty crash in the closing stages of stage five.
The Welshman suffered a suspected concussion and was quickly withdrawn from the race by the team and taken to hospital.
Team Doctor Richard Usher said: "Owain crashed at around 50km/h. He was initially assessed after the crash by the race doctor but within minutes of getting back on his bike he came to the team car feeling ‘very strange’ and in shock. We immediately took him out of the race with a clear and suspected concussion.
"He has been subsequently seen and assessed in hospital and thankfully all his scans are clear and he is improving. He will undergo a graduated return to riding under the team’s medical policy. He will be out of hospital tonight and we will keep a close eye on him overnight. If everything is OK he will go home tomorrow."
Diego Rosa was also forced to withdraw from the race due to fatigue, while Chris Lawless didn't start stage five after suffering from illness overnight.
Usher added: "Diego had a nasty viral infection a few weeks ago which we have since been monitoring closely. After racing Burgos we knew this week could be tough and today he felt more fatigued than he believes he should do at this stage of the race. He spoke to DS Matteo [Tosatto] and they agreed he should stop at the end of today’s stage.
Team Doctor Richard Usher said: "Owain crashed at around 50km/h. He was initially assessed after the crash by the race doctor but within minutes of getting back on his bike he came to the team car feeling ‘very strange’ and in shock. We immediately took him out of the race with a clear and suspected concussion.
"He has been subsequently seen and assessed in hospital and thankfully all his scans are clear and he is improving. He will undergo a graduated return to riding under the team’s medical policy. He will be out of hospital tonight and we will keep a close eye on him overnight. If everything is OK he will go home tomorrow."
Diego Rosa was also forced to withdraw from the race due to fatigue, while Chris Lawless didn't start stage five after suffering from illness overnight.
Usher added: "Diego had a nasty viral infection a few weeks ago which we have since been monitoring closely. After racing Burgos we knew this week could be tough and today he felt more fatigued than he believes he should do at this stage of the race. He spoke to DS Matteo [Tosatto] and they agreed he should stop at the end of today’s stage.
"Chris was feeling ill overnight. He had stomach problems, didn’t sleep well, and had a sore throat. He has races coming up and we agreed that it was better to save himself with a view to recovering fully for those. He is now back home in Manchester."
Dylan van Baarle finished the stage safely and remains well placed on GC, in 17th, 52 seconds off the lead, ahead of a brutal weekend of racing in Belgium.
Tosatto said: "Owain, Lukasz [Wisniowski] and Dylan were all caught in the crash. Thankfully Dylan didn't go down, he just broke his bike, but we didn't have much luck there.
"But we're all ready for tomorrow with Dylan. He has a good feeling and there will be an opportunity for him. That's our focus now."
Dylan van Baarle finished the stage safely and remains well placed on GC, in 17th, 52 seconds off the lead, ahead of a brutal weekend of racing in Belgium.
Tosatto said: "Owain, Lukasz [Wisniowski] and Dylan were all caught in the crash. Thankfully Dylan didn't go down, he just broke his bike, but we didn't have much luck there.
"But we're all ready for tomorrow with Dylan. He has a good feeling and there will be an opportunity for him. That's our focus now."
