Kangaroo chaos - UAE's Mikkel Bjerg suffers fracture after colliding with animal in Australia

Racing in Australia is not for the weak during the month of January, and perhaps no other rider has learnt this in a more difficult way than Mikkel Bjerg. A kangaroo caused a crash on the final stage of the Australian race but if there is anyone who will not find it amusing, it is the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider who has been confirmed to suffer a fracture in the hand.

The unusual incident happened early on in stage 5 and took down several riders, as two kangaroos first rode beside the peloton, and then onto the road. Jay Vine, the race leader, went down. His teammate Mikkel Bjerg, road captain after the withdrawal the day before of Jhonatan Narváez and Vegard Stake Laengen, went down with him.

However whilst Vine was able to finish the race and go on to celebrate his second overall win in Australia, Bjerg required a trip to the hospital, reminiscent of his two teammates who suffered the same fate 24 hours prior. Bjerg has suffered a hand fracture as a result of the crash.

The statement issued to DR Sporten by sources within UAE said the following: "Mikkel collided with a kangaroo that ran onto the road. He withdrew from the race and was examined by doctors. He has a fracture of the acromioclavicular joint and a fracture of the hand".

Whilst this is not the key point to take away from the fall, the Tour Down Under was not all celebrations for UAE. Jhonatan Narváez and Vegard Stake Laengen are both riders who have spent very large kilometers riding alongside the Slovenian, and so is Bjerg.

The Dane is scheduled to race the UAE Tour, but this is now in doubt due to his recent injury. It is possible that within three weeks he will be given the green light to race again, but this is yet to be decided on.

However, if not, Bjerg's form will be compromised towards the spring. He has been part of both of Tadej Pogacar's presences and victories at the Tour of Flanders, whilst he was also an important guide during the Slovenian's Paris-Roubaix debut last spring. Without Bjerg, the team will be rather compromised, as the 27-year old is one of the most experienced figures in the team for such terrain. And every weapon is necessary to battle against Mathieu van der Poel in his preferred terrain.