Stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné was neutralised after two mass crashes with 21km remaining that saw a vast number of riders fall, including yellow jersey Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates).
The commissaires brought the race to a halt after the peloton was hit by two almost simultaneous crashes on a stretch of wet downhill road on the run-in to the finish in Saint-Priest.
Following discussions between the riders, the commissaires and the race organisation, it was later decided to cancel the remainder of the stage.
In an announcement on race radio, the organisation explained that they were unable to ensure medical support for the peloton in the closing kilometres given that the ambulances following the race were all required to bring riders to hospital.
It was decreed that the peloton would ride the final kilometres into Saint-Priest together, but there would be no stage winner and no time awarded for the general classification.
“In accordance with the jury of commissaires of the UCI it's been decided that due to the fact there are no ambulances can take care of the security of the riders because they are all busy going to different hospitals, the race will be neutralised,” was the Englishlanguage statement on race radio.
“The race will be neutralised and the peloton will ride all the way to the finish line under the escort of the Garde Republicaine. The times will not be taken into account, there will not be a winner for today's stage.”
Over 50 riders appear to have come down in the two crashes. Evenepoel was among the fallers, and the Belgian spent some time sitting on the roadside before rising gingerly to his feet.
Roglič was quickly back up again after the crash, as was his Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Jai Hindley. Other fallers included Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep).
The Visma-Lease a Bike pairing of Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk were both forced to abandon the race due to the injuries they sustained in the crash, Van Baarle appeared to have sustained a shoulder injury.
Evenepoel and Chris Froome were later involved in discussions with their fellow riders and with the commissaires over whether the stage would continue at all.
Speaking to the host broadcaster, Romain Combaud (dsm-firmenich PostNL) signalled his doubts about the stage’s resumption, and shortly afterwards, ASO confirmed that the day’s racing had been definitively neutralised.
At the finish, Combaud applauded the decision to suspend the stage in the aftermath of the crash.
"It was a very good decision," Combaud said. "I think we had no more ambulances left so that was the reason and I think it was the right decision. The organiser reacted immediately to neutralise the race, and we had the information immediately in our earpiece. It was a wise decision and it was pleasing for us riders."
Escapees Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had been leading the peloton by 20 seconds at the time of the two mass crashes behind them, which took place on roads that had been made slick by heavy rain showers.
After a pause of half an hour or so, the peloton resumed slowly on its way towards Saint-Priest, albeit without Kruijswijk and Van Baarle.
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