"Our own doctor stitched him up in the hotel" - Visma provide update on Milan Vader after Tour of Guangxi crash

Last year, Milan Vader ended his season in China perfectly, taking overall victory at the Tour of Guangxi. Sadly, at the 2024 edition however, the Dutchman wasn't quite so successful, crashing out on stage 3, bringing an end to his time at Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the process.

"Milan had a deep wound under his left knee. It was immediately clear that he could not continue," Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Frans Maassen updates on the 26-year-old's condition via a press release on the team's official website. "Our own doctor stitched him up in the hotel. That went well and fortunately he is already walking around here again."

As mentioned, Vader came to China as the reigning Tour of Guangxi champion and despite it being his last race in Team Visma | Lease a Bike colours, had the full backing of his team in the quest for another general classification triumph. "Sportive-wise it's a big bummer, because Milan was our leading man," Maassen explains. "On the other hand, we realise it could have been much worse."

"I looked at my knee and knew right away that I didn't need to try any further. I'm glad no one was more seriously injured because it didn't look good at first," adds Vader himself, explaining just how the crash came to pass. "Someone next to me hit a wheel in front of him and came up against me. I couldn't avoid him anymore, so we were among the first to crash."

As mentioned, having signed a two-year with the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for 2025 and beyond, this also marks the end of Vader's time at Visma. "I was really looking forward to it. The exciting days were yet to come," concludes Vader sadly. "It is a shame that I had to abandon the race early."