Lotto-Intermarché have announced via social media that their rider Luca Van Boven has abandoned the Vuelta a España after crashing heavily during stage 7 and managing to complete the day's racing with broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Van Boven fell heavily in kilometre 122 of the mountainous stage, 28km from the finish line, after Alessandro Romele (XDS-Astana) lost his balance after hitting a speed bump in a small town. As a result, the Italian sprinter unintentionally closed out the Belgian, who hit the pavement and crashed.
Romele subsequently received a yellow card penalty for his manoeuvre.
Riding as a support rider in the Vuelta for the Lotto leaders, the 26-year-old hilly Classics specialist managed to remount and completed in 178th place, 33:17 down. He was the last rider to finish on a stage with more than 3,500 metres of vertical climbing.
The initial medical diagnosis on the official stage report was that Van Boven had suffered bruises and road rash in his lower back and right buttock "requiring continuous on-course attention for subsequent radiological study."
The post-stage check-up revealed the fourth-year pro had suffered two broken ribs and a collapsed lung in the crash, making it impossible for him to continue in the race
"Luca will remain in hospital overnight for further observation and will unfortunately not start tomorrow's stage. He will continue to be monitored closely," the team posted on social media. "We wish Luca lots of strength and a speedy recovery."
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