Medical tests reveal fractured hip for Dylan van Baarle after Vuelta a Espana abandon

Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Dylan van Baarle became the first abandon of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana on stage 2 after being caught up in a crash that also brought Rainer Kepplinger to the ground.

Coming through a feed zone, a momentary loss of focus saw both the Team Visma | Lease a Bike and the Bahrain - Victorious riders hit the tarmac, with Van Baarle especially taking his time to get back on his feet, seemingly feeling the effects of the incident. Sadly, although Van Baarle was able to get back to the bunch initially, he never looked settled and yo-yoed out the back for a while. After dropping away completely as the pace began to rise, the news then filtered through that the former Dutch national champion had abandoned the race.

An update from Team Visma | Lease a Bike has now revealed that after further medical tests on Van Baarle after his abandonment, the Dutchman has been revealed to have a fractured hip.

"It's a shame to lose Dylan," reflected Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Wout van Aert after stage 2, where the Belgian finished 2nd on the day, but moved into the Red Jersey of race leader as a result of the time bonuses he acquired in the final sprint for the line. "It's never nice to hear such news during the race. Hopefully he can heal quickly.”