Following his involvement in a multi-rider crash during Wednesday's opening stage at the Tour de Hongrie, Egan Bernal is set to continue in the Hungarian stage race despite having sustained road rash and bruising in the fall.
The Colombian is leading Ineos Grenadiers at the five-day race, his fifth stage race of the season. However, 1.1km from the end of the sprint stage to Szentgotthárd, he was caught-up in a high-speed crash that saw around a dozen riders hit the ground.
Bernal remained on the ground for some time after the crash before eventually remounting and rode to the finish. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) edged out Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the hectic sprint.
Ineos Grenadiers confirmed that Bernal had avoided serious injury in the fall and will start stage 2 to Keszthely.
His teammate, Lucas Plapp, wasn't so lucky, however. The Australian champion was also caught in the crash and is out of the race after suffering a concussion.
"Unfortunately, Egan Bernal and Lucas Plapp were involved in a crash on stage one of the Tour de Hongrie," read a statement issued by the team on Monday evening.
"Egan sustained road rash and bruising but has been cleared to start tomorrow's stage. Luke is showing mild signs of concussion and will not start tomorrow.
"Luke will continue to be monitored over an initial rest period before transitioning to our medical team concussion protocol ahead of a return to racing. We wish them both a speedy recovery."
It remains to be seen how Bernal will recover ahead of the uphill finishes on stages 4 and 5.
The 26-year-old is still battling back to form following a life-threatening collision with a bus during training last January. He sustained injuries to his chest and spine as well as fractures to a vertebra, femur, patella, and several ribs, and didn't race again until August.
This year he has shown signs of promise, finishing fourth on the Alto Colorado summit finish at the Vuelta a San Juan before leaving the race due to knee pain sustained in an early crash. Another crash followed at the Volta a Catalunya, though an eighth place at the recent Tour de Romandie was another sign of progress.
He's set for a return to WorldTour racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné or Tour de Suisse next month.
Plapp, meanwhile, is set for a spell off the bike following his concussion diagnosis. The 22-year-old has impressed so far during his second season as a pro, winning the Australian national title in January and finishing runner-up at the UAE Tour a month later.
Since then he has missed out on Catalunya due to illness and was a DNF on the final stage of Itzulia Basque Country before the unfortunate start and end to his ride in Hungary.
The Tour de Hongrie announced that several riders had received treatment following the crash, including Mika Heming (Tudor Pro Cycling), Kristóf Arvai (Epronex-Hungary), and Bálint Orosz (Hungary), though could not confirm the ongoing participation of the trio.
Crash Update: Unfortunately @Eganbernal and @LucasPlapp were involved in a crash on stage one of #TourDeHongrie. Egan sustained road rash and bruising but has been cleared to start tomorrow’s stage. Luke is showing signs of mild concussion, and will not start tomorrow (1/2) pic.twitter.com/UPZMQsUk6LMay 10, 2023
