Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) has expressed his concerns regarding what he felt was a lack of safety on stage 5 at the Tour de Suisse, which saw Gino Mäder (Bahrain Victorious) and Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) rushed to hospital following a crash on the final descent into La Punt.
The world champion criticised race organisers for the positioning of what he called a dangerous descent too close to the finish line.
“One thing I don't think anyone was happy with today is the finish," Evenepoel said in a post-race interview with Cycling Pro Net.
"The course now ends with a dangerous descent, and we have seen some crashes there as well. It would have been better to finish on top."
The Albulapass marked the final ascent of the 211km queen stage that started in Fiesch. The climb was 17.4km at 6.8%, followed by a short drop into La Punt.
There were two crashes on the descent that involved both Sheffield and Mäder, who were both treated on site before being transported to hospital.
Mäder was airlifted to hospital, with Bahrain Victorious later confirming that the Swiss rider was involved in a “bad crash". However, the team have not released a medical update regarding his injuries at this time.
Cyclingnews understands that Sheffield has sustained a concussion and will be kept in hospital overnight.
Evenepoel said that he witnessed the Sheffield crash and that he questioned the placement of the descent 10km out from the finish in La Punt.
"It wasn't a smart idea to place the finish of such a stage after a descent. But you obviously still need more spectacle. Something just has to happen for you to react."
Raphael Meyer, CEO of Tudor Pro Cycling, said in a post-race interview with that some riders passed the scene of the incident and were shocked. "We're on our way to the hotel; there's absolute silence in the team bus," he told Blick news outlet.
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) won the stage, with Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) taking second place and moving into the overall lead. Like Evenepoel, Skjelmose saw Sheffield's crash and felt that the descent was too close to the finish.
"Maybe this descent at the end wasn't the best idea. Every descent is unsafe if you're going too fast. I'm sad," he said.
I hope all the guys that were involved in a crash are okay!! 🙏🏻❤️I hope that the final of today's stage is food for thought for both cycling organisers as well as ourselves as riders.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/UZm6sRwiezJune 15, 2023
