Canadian had been second overall starting today’s stage
The Garmin Sharp team is facing a nervous time as it awaits a medical update on Ryder Hesjedal, who has crashed out of the Tour de Suisse. The American team is hoping that the Canadian will be fit for the Tour de France and will consequently have fingers crossed that his injuries are not serious enough to disrupt those plans.
“He is currently at the hospital where he is being evaluated by hospital and team medical staff,” team spokeswoman Marya Pongrace told VeloNation, adding that the team will update his situation when medical examination is completed.
The 2012 Giro d’Italia champion had shown fine form thus far in the race, bounching back from the illness which ruled him out of this year’s Giro. He was a solid ninth in the prologue and then went close to winning yesterday’s first mountain stage, being clear for an extended period of time and being overtaken within a stone’s throw of the line.
His fourth place on that stage saw him begin today’s leg second overall, just three seconds behind the race leader Cameron Meyer (Orica GreenEdge).
However the chances of winning the race overall evaporated when he fell inside the final 50 kilometres of today’s stage.
The Garmin-Sharp rider crashed out of last year’s Tour and hopes to be in peak shape for this year’s race.
Further details to follow later.