Belgian suffers deep elbow gash and extensive road rash but makes the key break in stage six
Pieter Serry (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) crossed the line at yesterday’s Genting Highlands finish covered in blood and his jersey and shorts badly torn. The Belgian had been the one victim of a freak crash just before the final climb had begun, but managed – in severe pain – to finish the brutal mountain stage. After a visit to hospital to confirm that he had suffered no fractures, Serry prepared to line up at the start of stage six; despite his injuries, he was to be among the protagonists of the day.
Having lost more than 23 minutes to new race leader Julian Arredondo (Nippo-De Rosa), Serry’s bid for a high overall place was at an end, and – sitting in the team’s minibus before the stage roll out, he was unsure if he was going to finish the race.
“I think 15km before the finish, on a little downhill, I lost my grip on my handlebars and I crashed,” he told VeloNation before the stage start.
“Very hard,” he grimaced, “and the road was very rough.”
“It’s very deep on my elbow,” Serry explained, indicating his heavily bandaged arm, “and all my left side is [grazed].”
Serry came to Langkawi as part of a two-pronged attack on the general classification, alongside compatriot Serge Pauwels, and had been climbing with the leaders at the time of his crash.
“I was good yesterday, I think,” he smiled. “Top five, or top ten was possible for me, for sure. I’ll try to start, but I’m not sure I can finish the race.
“It’s more than 200km today.”
Pauwels remains in overall contention for the overall, finishing among the top riders at the top of the fearsome climb to Genting Highlands. Serry’s race, however, seems effectively over.
“That’s cycling,” shrugged the 24-year-old with a smile.
Despite Serry’s doubts that he would last the course, however, the Belgian was at the head of affairs as the stage entered its closing kilometres. As a 16-man break tore itself clear of the peloton in the monsoon-like weather conditions, Serry was there in support of Pauwels’ attempt to take back some time from Arredondo.
The attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, but Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s Polish champion Michal Golas was one of five riders to defy the peloton, and sprinted to third place behind stage winner Tom Leezer (Blanco).