It's a tough morning after the night before for many riders and teams in Belgium this Sunday, as the effects and injuries from two crash-filled editions of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad have become clearer overnight.
The men's race on Saturday saw several high-speed incidents, including one at the entrance to the Molenberg which cost Rick Pluimers (Tudor Pro Cycling) two teeth, whilst the women's race incidents were less dramatic but impacted the race nonetheless, not least putting Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) out of contention.
In total, there were 39 DNFs in the men's race, and 28 from the women's field.
Many of the injuries were already clear on Saturday evening, but others have only been confirmed overnight or on Sunday morning, with several riders spending the night in hospital.
It was Pluimers and his crash in front of winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) that grabbed attention on Saturday, but his Tudor Pro Cycling teammate Stefan Küng has come away with more serious injuries.
The Swiss rider came down in a separate incident, and suffered a fracture to his right femur, which will require surgery and rule him out of the rest of the Classics.
"Stefan Küng sustained a fracture to his left thigh following a crash during today's Omloop Nieuwsblad. Given the injury's location and severity, surgery is necessary," his team posted on social media. "Stefan will remain in the hospital in Belgium overnight. He’ll be transferred to Switzerland as soon as possible, where he is scheduled to undergo surgery early next week."
Küng, who moved to Tudor this winter, had a strong Classics season last spring, finishing in the top 10 of the E3 Saxo Classic, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders, as well as fifth in Paris-Roubaix the year before, but Tudor will now be down a powerhouse for the rest of the Spring.
The Classics are also likely over before they've begun for Ben Swift, the Ineos Grenadiers road captain, who also suffered a major fracture.
"Following Ben Swift’s crash at Omloop Nieuwsblad yesterday, medical examinations have confirmed he has sustained a fractured pelvis," his team confirmed. "He is currently under the care of our medical team, and we wish him a smooth and speedy recovery."
The volume of crashes and injuries has meant teams were playing musical chairs overnight to fill replacements for Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, with some crashed riders, like EF Education-EasyPost's Mikkel Honoré, still set to race on through more minor injuries and road rash.
Those who crashed in the women's field appear to have largely avoided any major injuries, with no significant updates overnight.
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