An unlucky cyclist was taken to hospital for his injuries after smashing into a barrier at high speed during a sprint to the finish line.
The crash took place at the end of the fifth stage of the Tour of Turkey. Edward Planckaert was one of those looking to push for the finish line as the leaders entered the final kilometre of the race.
The Belgian rider was closest to the barriers on the left side of the peloton as he drifted back and moved alongside a group of four other riders. They were all shoulder-to-shoulder and got a little too close to each other as they wound up for the final sprint.
Planckaert was the unfortunate victim as a bump on the right side of the group sent a chain reaction across the riders, resulting in the Belgian being pushed into the barrier. He hit the ground hard while several other riders also came off their cycles as they tried to avoid him.
One of those who was unable to get out of the way was his team-mate Jakub Mareczko, who also fell. As the road was blocked by those fallen riders, there was a large number of other competitors who were forced to grind to a halt as they were unable to get past.
In a statement on social media, the Alpecin-Fenix team confirmed that Planckaert had been taken to hospital to be treated. "It's been an eventful day at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye with an unfortunate crash in full sprint preparations," the team wrote.
"Edward Planckaert crashed into the barriers at high speed, at 800m to go, after which he was taken to hospital. He sustained a concussion, a broken collarbone, and has pain in the neck, foot and collarbones. Updates will follow when we have more news.
"Also Jakub Mareczko hit the deck, but managed to make it home under his own power, albeit with several abrasions."
Jasper Philipsen, another Alpecin-Fenix rider who was the one who inadvertently pushed Planckaert into the barrier, was able to avoid falling and went on to take part in the sprint finish. He was unable to stop Sam Welsford from passing him to take the win, but did cross the line second.
After the race, Philipsen took to Twitter to explain what had happened. "Feel upset to see Edward Planckaert crash like that after he did a great job," he wrote. "I was following my lead out Lionel Taminaux while trying to make some space for Planckaert on the left. But got pushed on the right and had nowhere to go. Just hope he and the others that crashed are 'ok' and recover well."
