Cian Uijtdebroeks crossed the finish line in Andorra on Tuesday in tears, last on the stage by more than 26 minutes, riding on a fractured ankle. On Wednesday morning, his team announced that he would not start stage 5 of the Vuelta a España, saying further tests showed the injury was more extensive than first estimated.
The 23-year-old Belgian crashed on stage 2, sustaining wounds and abrasions along with trauma to his left ankle. Swelling complicated the early assessment. Subsequent examinations identified a small fracture, and doctors cleared him to continue before he lined up for the 104.8-kilometer mountain stage through Andorra, where he lives and trains. He made the time cut only because organizers had raised the limit from 16 to 20 percent the day before.
