Isaac del Toro abandons Itzulia Basque Country after stage three crash
Mexican champion suffers road rash and thigh muscle tear, UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirm
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UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Isaac del Toro abandoned Itzulia Basque Country after a crash on Wednesday's third stage.
The Mexican champion was one of a handful of riders who came down with around 83km remaining en route to the day's finish in Basauri.
A video shared by TNT Sports on Instagram showed Del Toro limping at the side of the road after the crash, with ripped bib shorts and grazes down his right side. He initially remounted his bike to try and continue the race, only to retire to his team car shortly afterwards.
Article continues belowAn update from UAE Team Emirates-XRG's medical director, Dr. Adrian Rotunno, was issued on Wednesday evening: "Unfortunately Isaac Del Toro suffered a crash on stage 3 of Itzulia Basque Country and was forced to withdraw. He has a right thigh muscle tear, and several related abrasions. He will undergo further examination as a precaution under supervision of team medical staff."
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Del Toro went into the stage eighth in the overall standings, 2:44 down on the leader Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM). Having won the UAE Tour in February and Tirreno-Adriatico last month, he was expected to challenge for the title as the week went on.
It is currently uncertain how long Del Toro will spend in recovery from his injuries.
The 22-year-old's programme was previously scheduled to include next week's Ardennes treble of Amstel Gold Race (19 April), La Flèche Wallonne (22 April) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (26 April), before the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes and a Tour de France debut in July.
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Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) went on to win Wednesday's third stage of Itzulia Basque Country. The Frenchman was among an 11-rider breakaway that lasted to the line.
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer and been host of the TT Podcast. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
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