Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France: German veteran Jens Voigt of Saxo Bank crashed out of the Tour de France after suffering a horror crash on Tuesday`s 16th stage.The 37-year-old temporarily lost consciousness after a heavy fall early on the descent from the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard and was taken to hospital by ambulance after being revived at the scene.
"I only saw him after the crash and he looked very, very bad," said team boss Bjarne Riis, a former Tour de France winner.
"It`s not nice to lose a rider like this, but these are things which happen in a race and you have to accept them.
"It is too early to say how bad his injuries are, I didn`t see the crash, I only saw the aftermath and it wasn`t good.”
"I am just concerned with Jens` health right now."
Official race doctor Gerard Porte said: "He lost consciousness for three to four minutes. He has injuries mainly to his face and when he gets to hospital in Grenoble he will be having a full scan."
Voigt - a team-mate of Andy Schleck - has had poor luck on the Tour recently after a flat tyre cost him the chance to stay with a breakaway group on last Saturday`s 14th stage.
The 37-year-old suffered a back-wheel puncture at the 57km mark and despite receiving a new wheel from the neutral spares car, he lost his place in a 13-man escape which included eventual stage winner Sergei Ivanov of Katusha.
Voigt is the second rider Saxo Bank have lost inside a week.
Their 34-year-old Norwegian champion Kurt-Asle Arvesen crashed out in the 10th stage trying to avoid a spectator.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.