Visma-Lease a Bike’s Marianna Vos completes stage 2 while teammate Anna Henderson is taken to hospital
On a rainy day with low clouds and slippery roads, the second stage of La Vuelta Femenina saw riders fall into two crashes in the final kilometers. Although unhurt, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) missed a chance to sprint for the stage and a possible red jersey.
Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) took victory, crossing the finish line ahead of new race leader Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime), second on the stage, and third-placed Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ ).
The first accident occurred just meters from the 3km mark and involved Mischa Bredewold, Niamh Fisher-Black (both SD Worx-Protime), Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels), Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek), Clara Emond (EF Education-Cannondale) as well as Vos and her teammate Anna Henderson.
Vos quickly got her bike back on, but she was unable to get back to the front of the race, ultimately finishing 27th. Her teammate Henderson was hit harder with Emond crashing into her. Henderson got up but did not finish the stage, shown only on the results sheet due to the 3km rule.
Henderson was taken to hospital for further examination, with the team saying only “Let’s hope she’s okay” on social media.
Lidl-Trek confirmed Cycling news that Deignan only felt pain after the fall, joining the team’s injury list which already included Ellen van Dijk and Elynor Bäckstedt after their crash during the first stage’s team time trial. Elisa Longo Borghini fell very early in the stage but suffered no injuries.
Just a few hundred meters away, the bike of Magdeleine Vallières (EF Education-Cannondale) slipped in a roundabout, eliminating Emma Norsgaard as well as Liane Lippert, Mareille Meijering (all from the Movistar team), Georgia Baker and Teniel Campbell (both Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Mieke Docx (Lotto Dstny Ladies). Maud Rijnbeek (AG Insurance-Soudal) was also unable to avoid the accident and somersaulted over the guardrail.
Fortunately, Rijnbeek did not suffer any serious injuries and was able to complete the stage. Norsgaard got up with the help of her teammates and the team confirmed Cycling news that she had an elbow injury that required stitches as well as several bruises, but was otherwise fine. Lippert also suffered minor bruises while Meijering – who had previously crashed on the descent from Puerto de L’Oronet – was fine.
Liv-AlUla-Jayco confirmed that Baker and Campbell felt unwell after the crash but had no other injuries. VolkerWessels confirmed that Jansen, involved in the first major pileup, had a small cut on her knee but was otherwise unhurt.
