Earlier this year, during the Tour of the Algarve, the whole group of cyclists made a wrong turn near the end of the first stage, finding themselves beyond the barriers. Similarly, at the Tour of Limburg, Unibet Tietema Rockets' sprinter Davide Bomboi lost control while rounding a bend and crashed into the audience area. This resulted in quite an intense collision.
The Belgian sprinter found himself ideally placed during the last kilometer with high hopes of winning the dash to the finish line. However, as they approached a challenging bend, he got trapped along the outer edge. This forced him off onto the pavement right at the spot where barricades started lining the route. With nowhere safe to go without risking an accident, he continued riding alongside these obstacles on their left flank. His prospects were severely compromised because of this; nonetheless, several fellow competitors, among them his teammate Lukas Kubis, mirrored his move. The setback proved particularly disheartening for the Franco-Dutch squad who had been eyeing valuable points in this Belgian single-stage contest.
Sadly, this move led to further confusion. In the peloton, cyclists adhere closely behind those ahead. A participant from Flanders-Baloise found himself off-road but attempted to return to the track. His effort proved unsuccessful as he collided with the barricade. This resulted in a severe fall, dragging another team member along. Following his crash, several others also hit the barriers. The situation appeared grim, and it remains uncertain if any racers sustained injuries.
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Fretin steers clear of crashes and performs admirably for Cofidis.
Milan Fretin remained unaffected. The Belgian cyclist from Cofidis found himself towards the inner part of the curve, thereby avoiding the commotion. He initiated the sprint ahead of others and clinched his third win for the season even after suffering a puncture 20 kilometres before reaching the end. This triumph means that Cofidis has surpassed last year’s tally of wins earlier in the current campaign.