Patrick Bevin out of Tour de la Provence with broken collarbone

The Kiwi started off the second stage of the race in 12th place overall after a decent prologue and was looking to be a part of the action in the crosswinds but his day finished earlier as he hit the deck during the stage and had to abandon.

After early report of the incident, Israel - Premier Tech announced a few hours later that upon examination, Bevin suffered a fracture in the left collarbone which will require surgery. The Israel rider will now have a period of a month minimum without competing that will see him missing some racing in the spring.

Israel - Premier Tech was not far from netting the win nonetheless. After making it into the winning echelon, Sep Vanmarcke and Mads Würtz Schmidt both tried their luck when it came to the stage win, with the Dane launching a fierce move in the final kilometers closed by Filippo Ganna, whilst the Belgium saved his legs for a sprint where he went on to finish second only behind INEOS' Elia Viviani.