When the Tour de France resumes in Nice on Sunday, Lotto Sodal will be without both Philip Gilbert and John Dejenkolb. The team has confirmed overnight that Gilbert will not start the second phase after a knee fracture in the crash, while Dejenkolb missed the time for the opening phase on Saturday after the crash.
Gilbert was taken to hospital after completing Phase 1, but Lotto Sodal confirmed early Sunday morning that the Belgian p te could not continue due to his injuries.
“I was riding about 20th in the Piloton when they crashed in front of me. I managed to escape that crash. I passed two or three inserted riders, and I thought I was safe, but then they crashed again, and this time I” now They couldn’t avoid him, “Gilbert said in a press release from Crash, adding that his 10th Tour de France would end on the first day.
“I fell there with 10-15 boys,” he continued. “Immediately, I tried to stand up, but it was impossible. I waited there for two minutes, leaning against a guard. Then I fell alone without really pushing the paddles.
“In a small group of drop riders, I managed to finish without being able to help others. I was in pain. A pain I have recognized since 2018,” said Gilbert, recalling his crash on that year’s tour, on stage 16. Col na de portrait de er spurt, which left him with a broken patella of the same left knee.
“Was it the same fracture as two years ago or newer?” Said Gilbert. “We will only confirm after ultrasonography, and there, a fresh fracture was diagnosed. The good news is that it is a fracture without displacement. At first, we feared problems with the tendon and ligament.
“The doctor at the hospital, who made time for us and stayed with us until 11pm, talked about a two- to three-week immovable period. It could be worse.”
“What a disappointment for us,” Gilbert added, speaking on behalf of both and Dejenkolb. “We are both players who love their game and their job. We always have respect for the race, our team and the sponsors. We always fight and share the same values. I have great respect for what John did, after the nasty crash, alone 65 Kilometers ride kilometers and reach two minutes beyond the time limit.
“John gave everything, but he got zero respect from the commissioners. With the rain and all the crashes, at least he had the right to have the respect to put in the results, even later, he would have been unable to continue. That’s so unacceptable,” Gilbert said.
