TDF Stage 9: More Blood and Broken Bones Leave the Peloton Shaken and Looking for Answers
By Chris Carmichael
What is going on in the Tour de France this year?! Crashes are relatively common in the Tour and every other bike race, but the consequences – and in some cases, the circumstances – of this year’s crashes have been odd and incredible.
The toll of broken bones suffered during the Tour this year is higher than usual, no doubt. Just today, Alexander Vinokourov is suspected of breaking his pelvis, David Zabriskie broke his wrist, Jurgen van den Broeck broke his scapula (shoulder blade), Frederik Willems left the race with a suspected broken collarbone, and two men dropped out the race after breaking their arms in previous stages. Amets Txurruka of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team started the day knowing his arm was broken and eventually dropped out. Juan Manuel Garate rode yesterday’s stage with a broken arm, apparently, and didn’t start today. In all, seven riders who started today’s stage didn’t reach the finish line, and most dropped out due to broken bones.
2011 Tour de France, stage 9.
