Steven Kruijswijk forced to miss Tour de France
Jumbo-Visma will be missing a key rider in their bid to overthrow Team Ineos
Jumbo-Visma’s attempts to overthrow Team Ineos at the Tour de France have taken a blow as Steven Kruijswijk will be forced to miss the race due to injury.
The Dutch Grand Tour contender is still suffering from a crash he suffered at the Critérium du Dauphiné last week and he will not be fit in time for the Tour at the end of August.
Kruijswijk, who finished third in last year’s Tour, was expected to be a key asset to Jumbo-Visma in the Tour de France, alongside Tom Dumoulin and race favourite Primož Roglič.
In a statement shared on Twitter, Kruijswijk said: “Unfortunately, the consequences of my crash in the Dauphiné turn out to be more serious than hoped.
“To my great disappointment, I cannot participate in the Tour de France due to a fracture in the shoulder and the many abrasions.
“I am now going to work on my recovery first and then I will focus on the Giro d’Italia as a new goal. I wish the team the best of luck in the Tour. I am very disappointed I cannot be part of it.”
Kruijswijk crashed during a descent of the Col de Plain Bois on stage four and was immediately forced to withdraw, but the team were not sure of the extent of his injuries.
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But it’s now clear he will not be fit for the Tour de France and will instead start the Giro in early October.
Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo-Visma has been stepping up their Grand Tour ambitions in recent years, finishing on the podium of all three-week races last year and winning the Vuelta a España with Roglič.
This year, Jumbo have been the team to beat in stage races as they dominated Team Ineos in the Tour de l’Ain and then the Critérium du Dauphiné before both Kruijswijk and Roglič crashed out.
Team Ineos have now announced their surprising line-up for the 2020 Tour de France, with both Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome left out of the team.
Egan Bernal will try to defend his 2019 title, with Pavel Sivakov and Richard Carapaz supporting him in the mountains.
>>> Tour de France 2020 route: Eight mountain finishes and uphill time trial to decide 107th edition
Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour, will instead now go up against Kruijswijk at the Giro d’Italia after the disappointment of being left out of the Tour squad.
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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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