Fractured rib puts Andre Greipel's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne ride in doubt

Andre Greipel suffers a fractured rib in a crash on stage four of the Volta ao Algarve which could put him in doubt for Sunday's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Andre Greipel wins Day 4 of the 2016 Challenge Mallorca

(Image credit: Watson)

Lotto-Soudal will decide later this week whether or not Andre Greipel will ride Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne this Sunday after the German fractured a rib in a crash at the Volta ao Algarve on Saturday.

Greipel did not start the final stage of the race on Sunday after the fall the previous day and faces a fight for fitness ahead of next weekend's sprinter's Classic.

The 10-time Tour de France stage winner has ridden Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne several times in his career, with his best result coming in 2011 when he finished third.

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Greipel's leadout man Marcel Sieberg will likely miss Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne this weekend as he recovers from a respiratory infection.

What's more, Thomas de Gendt and Gert Dockx were hospitalised after a collision with a car in training. Dockx suffered severe bruising to his leg, while de Gendt fractured a finger and suffered a concussion, making him a doubt for Paris-Nice in March.

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Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.