Whilst it may have been a quiet and relatively relaxed day in the peloton so far at the 2024
Vuelta a Espana, the need to stay focused is always there, as
Dylan van Baarle and
Rainer Kepplinger can attest to.
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. Both riders are back on the bike though and working their way back through the cars and into the peloton.
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.