Spanish climber still left with stitches, cuts, scrapes, and bruises – questionable for Sunday
A nasty crash for new 2011 Rabobank signee, Carlos Barredo, in yesterday’s Fleche Wallonne left the Spaniard’s status for Sunday’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege very much in doubt. After the race, Barredo’s Rabobank team manager, Frans Maassen, didn’t seem too hopeful about the 2010 Vuelta a España stage winner’s chances for a start in Liege.
“I hope he has suffered no fractures,” said Maassen to CyclingZone.nl. “He had many cuts. The fork of the bike was broken, his saddle too. The injuries did not look too pleasant. It seems to me like he won’t be able to race Sunday at Liege, but we’ll have to wait and see exactly how it goes.”
The Spaniard, who got a late start to his season due to a suspension incurred from a finish line fight with Rui Costa at last year’s Tour de France, quelled any doubts about the structure of his bones though with a late evening tweet yesterday.
“Shit day…I crashed, and I have wounds all over the body, even eight stitches on my elbow. I really have a lot of pain now!! I’m going to try to sleep!!”
It looks like the 2009 Clasica San Sebastian winner might have dodged a bullet by avoiding any broken bones, but the big question will now be whether he can race on Sunday. The 29 year old from Oviedo is a very important part of the Rabobank team, as they hope to put Robert Gesink into position for victory in La Doyenne, and with it, salvage their Ardennes campaign.