Double-stage winner will start stage seventeen despite suffering back and arm pain
Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) suffered no broken bones as a result of a heavy crash towards the end of the Vuelta a España’s sixteen stage between Palencia and Haro. The Catalan rider, who has won two stages of the race so far and wears the green points jersey, hit the tarmac hard in the incident; he then paid a visit to the race doctor before being nursed to the finish by three of his teammates.
While at the race doctor’s car it was obvious that Rodriguez was suffering with pain in his lower back and left forearm. He was taken to hospital in the nearby town of Logroño, where he underwent a series of checks and the absence of fractures was confirmed.
The Katusha team has confirmed that Rodriguez will start the seventeenth stage to Peña Cabarga, where he took the stage in last year’s race. If he is suffering any ill effects from his crash, then a repeat victory is unlikely.
Rodriguez lost 11’01” on the stage, after limping home alongside teammates Alberto Losada, Alieksandr Kuschynski and Joan Horrach, but he did experience some good luck at the finish.
Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) trails Rodriguez by just fifteen points in the green jersey classification, and was poised to take the lead at the finish, providing he finished inside the top three. The mistake from Robert Wagner (Leopard Trek) as he turned into the team car diversion in the final few hundred metres caused his own sprinter Daniele Bennati to hesitate. That hesitation caused Sagan to brake, almost crashing into the barriers straight ahead, costing the Slovakian champion the chance to sprint and earn any points at the finish.
Rodriguez may well lose the jersey on tomorrow’s stage to Bauke Mollema (Rabobank), who trails him by just five points, and will be looking for a good finish on Peña Cabarga. Sagan’s misfortune bought him an extra day though.