Wout van Aert has abandoned the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a España after he crashed on the𒆙 descent of the Collada Llomena on stage 16 to Lagos de Covadonga.

The Visma-Lease ♍a Bike rider injured his left knee when he crashed with a shade over 50km remaining, having led over the first two climbs of the stage as part of the day&rsquo🐷;s early break.

Van Aert attempt♐ed to rejoin the race after receiving a replacement bike, but he was unable to pedal and in clear discomfort. He stopped again after a few hundred metres, climbing into the Visma🐎 team car.

Van Aert came down on a sharp left-hand bend after fellow escapee Felix Engelhardt (Jayco-Al🅷Ula) had crashed in front of him. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) also went down behind Van Aert but only the Visma rider appeared to suffer serious injuries.

"Wout was taken to hospital by ambulance. There he will undergo examinations," Sports Director Grischa Niermann said in a team social post. "Of course we are so sad seeing him leave the Vuelta in this manner. Luck has not been on our side this season. We all feel for him."

The team later added in a medical update that Van Aert had not suffered any fractures as a result of the crash.

"The three-time stage winner had to withdraw due to severe knee pain caused by a deep wound," said the team in the follow-up medical report released late on Tuesday. "That wound requires intensive care. Wout will travel back to Belgium to continu𒆙eꦯ his recovery."

Van Aert had also crashed at the start of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:stage 16 as the break was forming b♚ut withou♏t any serious effect.

The Belgian was leading both the points and king of the mountains classi🐈fications at this Vuelta after a string of sparkling performances over the first tw🍷o weeks that saw him pick up a hat-trick of stage wins.

He is the second Visma-Lease a Bike rider t🍨o crash out of the 2024 Vuelta. On stage 2 Dylan van Baarle became the first abandon of the race when he fell hea📖vily, fracturing his hip.

It remains to be seen if Van Aert will recover in time to line out for the Belgian team at the World Championships♈ road race in Zurich on September 29. He was also due to line out at thꦚe European Championships on home roads in Hasselt.

Van Aert’s original plans for the 2024 season were ruined𒅌 by a heavy crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen that left him with a broken collarbone and forced him out of the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and a planned Giro d’Italia debut.

He returned to action in time to line out a💝t the Tour de France in support of Jonas Vingegaard and he claimed a bronze medal in the time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

First used in 2021 in the Vuelta a España as a warm-up climb for Lagos de Covadonga, that year the descent of the Collada Llomena acquired a reputation for being extremely technical. That year Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), riding at the time for Movistar, suffered a major crash on the same downhill where Van Aert fell and was also forced to abandon as a result of his injuries.

After Van Baarle's abandon and Cian Uijtdebroeks quitting with COVID-19, Van Aert's exit from the race leaves Visma-Lease a Bike with just five riders left in the race. It has also unexpectedly put Australia's Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) into the green jersey as Van Aert had looked to have the points classification sewn up with a lead of more than 100 points at the start of the stage.

"To be clear not t❀he way we wanted it," said Alpecin-Deceuninck of the green jersey in a statement on socia𒁏l media. "Above all, we wish Wout a speedy recovery."