"It's never a good sign when a rider grabs his shoulder" - Patrick Lefevere gives early update to Remco Evenepoel's condition after Itzulia Basque Country crash

This year's Itzulia Basque Country was seen as something of a Tour de France prelude as a number of Maillot Jaune contenders battled out for victory in Spain. After a horror crash on stage 4 though, Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic have all crashed out hard.

Evenepoel left the race in an ambulance, travelling to the nearest hospital and whilst the medical checks haven't yet been fully carried out, Soudal - Quick-Step boss, Patrick Lefevere was able to give a quick update to what happened and his team leader's condition.

"The rider in Remco's wheel fell and he probably lost his concentration for a moment and fell," explained Lefevere in quotes collected by Sporza. "I don't think they took too many risks, the road seemed quite slippery to me."

"It could have been a lot worse with those rocks and trees, but it looks serious. It's never a good sign when a rider grabs his shoulder. This is the worst possible period, but we have to wait for the medical report," he concludes. "There are still 14 days until Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a lot can be repaired. But in the event of a break, it stops here. The Tour? No, the Tour is not being mortgaged. It would only be a setback after so much effort."