Spaniard’s battle for Tour de France spot comes to abrupt halt
Jose-Luis Arrieta did not start today’s fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse, due to a broken elbow. The Spaniard suffered the injury a few kilometers from the finish line in yesterday’s 192 kilometers from Schwarzenburg to Wettingen. He will be out for at least three weeks.
Arrieta was one of several crash victims in stage four. The worst fall happened near the finish line, where Mark Cavendish, Heinrich Haussler, Loyd Mondory and Arnaud Coyot went down. All except Cavendish had to abandon the race due to their injuries.
Arrieta had to ride a few kilometers to reach the finish line, but the suffering was in vain for the AG2R La Mondiale rider. With his left elbow broken, he was unable to continue the race. How long Arrieta will be effectively out depends on the healing process, but it will be at least three weeks.
Sadly for Arrieta, this incident puts him out of contention for one of the six remaining spots in the AG2R Tour de France team. The Spaniard does not have many victories, but he has been a trusted domestique since his beginnings at Banesto in 1993. The 39-year-old has fond memories of helping Miguel Indurain, among others.
The usually mild-mannered Arrieta made headlines in 1995 for getting into a fight with Roberto Sierra. Arrieta was thrown out of that race, but more often than not he finished the Grand Tours, being praised by his team leaders for his hard work.