Ilnur Zakarin abandons Tour de France 2020 day after crash in the neutral zone
The CCC Team rider started the race a day after his crash but was forced to step off the bike
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Ilnur Zakarin has abandoned the Tour de France 2020 a day after he crashed in the neutral zone.
The CCC Team rider fell with Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko before the official start of stage 11 as the peloton rolled out of Châtelaillon-Plage.
Zakarin and Lutsenko hit a road sign on a roundabout early in the day, with Zakarin able to remount his bike and finish the stage albeit with some rib pain.
Medical examination after the stage revealed the Russian had suffered a broken rib.
He was able to start stage 12 in Chauvigny, but stepped off the bike early in the stage and abandoned the race.
CCC Team doctor Daniele Zaccaria said after stage 11: “Ilnur Zakarin was involved in a crash in the neutral zone of stage 11. He was able to finish the stage but was experiencing some rib pain which required further examination.
“X-Rays performed at the finish in Poitiers will confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the sixth left rib.”
The doctor said at the time: “At this stage, Ilnur will continue racing while we adopt some conservative therapies which won’t be jeopardised by racing. We will continue to monitor Ilnur’s condition and make any further decisions accordingly.”
CCC Team then said the following day: “Unfortunately, Ilnur Zakarin has been forced to stop racing on stage 12 as a result of the injuries he sustained in the crash at the start of yesterday’s stage.
“Join us in wishing Ilnur a speedy recovery.”
>>> Peter Sagan shares his thoughts on sprint controversy after stage 11 of Tour de France 2020
Zakarin, a Tour stage winner in 2016, had been active in the Pyrenees and made the breakaway on the first real mountain test of the race to Loudenvielle, where he was leading the race into the final but eventually finished fourth due to his struggles with the descent.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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