Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) crashed out of the UAE Tour during stage 3 on Wednesday, and his team has confirmed he suffered a concussion in the fall.
"Unfortunately, Adam Yates has been diagnosed with a concussion after his crash today at the UAE Tour," the team announced on social media.
"He is stable with other superficial injuries. For the sake of Adam's health, and as per concussion protocols, he was withdrawn from racing. He will need recovery, and the medical team will continue with neurological monitoring and rehab going forward."
Yates, 31, won the UAE Tour in 2020 and placed second to Tadej Pogačar in 2021 and 2022. As winner of the Tour of Oman earlier this month, Yates was one of the main favourites to win his team's home tour.
Instead, on Jebel Jais, his teammate Jay Vine took the lead of the race after placing second on the stage behind Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale).
"He doesn't remember hitting the ground, so our thoughts are with him," Jay Vine said after the finish. "It's not the way you want to see one of your teammates leave the bike race."
Yates crashed on the run-in to the final climb but got back on his bike and continued until midway through the climb when he stopped and climbed into the team car.
The UCI has a protocol to assess riders following a crash, but it did not appear that Yates was immediately evaluated for a concussion. It was only when he complained of a headache to his team that it became clear something was wrong.
According to GCN, the team let Yates make the decision to go on or stop.
"It is just really important that he listened to himself in a situation like this [and] just take care, you know, it is only a bike race," UAE Team Emirates rider Mikel Bjerg said to GCN.
