ARNUERO, Spain (AP) — Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert did not sustain any fractures in his crash at the Spanish Vuelta but will still need intensive care to treat a knee wound, his team said Wednesday.
The three-time stage winner withdrew from the race Tuesday while wearing the green jersey as top sprinter. Van Aert also led the mountains standings when he was among three riders that crashed during a descent about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the finish of stage 16.
He was then taken to hospital and his Visma–Lease a Bike said he had “severe knee pain caused by a deep wound. That wound requires intensive care.”
Van Aert won three of the first 10 stages of the race. The 29-year-old Belgian will travel back home to continue his recovery, the team said.
Ben O’Connor had a five-second lead over three-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic ahead of Wednesday’s Stage 17, a 141.5-kilometer (88-mile) ride from Arnuero with a relatively flat finish into Santander.
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