Saturday, July 07, 2012

Sheer carnage

The first week of the Tour de France has been as much about the crashes that have occurred as the winners on the podium. Yesterday saw two big crashes, the first at 35km and then a huge crash at 25km from the finish.

Twenty seven riders were officially listed as injured but then more were treated by their team doctors. Ten riders were taken to hospital suffering from loss of consciousness to deep cuts and dislocations.

Some of the riders had already been involved in crashes in the days before. Watching the coverage on TV it is like the walking wounded with rider after rider bandaged up.

What is left of the peloton will enter into the low mountains today with a steep finish that could cause some tired legs.

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