From the highs of the opening day where he played an integral role in Team dsm-firmenich’s team time trial win, to wearing the famous red jersey on the second stage, Lorenzo Milesi’s debut Vuelta a España has unfortunately been blighted by bad luck since then. A crash on stage two saw Milesi suffer some abrasions and knocks but he was beginning to overcome those injuries on the following days, but he was unfortunately involved in a crash early on Thursday’s stage five. Despite trying to fight back after being cleared by the race doctor, it was no longer possible for Milesi to continue who suffered pain in his hand. Further medical checks were carried out after the stage which have thankfully revealed no fracture.
Milesi said: “I’m really disappointed to leave the Vuelta already, because after my crash earlier in the race, I felt stronger again the last two days. I crashed badly and was in a lot of pain from my hand. The first scan luckily did not show a fracture, but I’ll go back to Italy for further research. From there I’ll support the team. I wish the guys all the best in the remainder of the Vuelta and I’m sure they will do well.”
Team dsm-firmenich coach Phil West added: “It’s a real shame to lose Lorenzo today. He came down in a nasty crash with around six or seven other riders and took a real heavy hit to his hand. He couldn’t control the handlebar which is dangerous and I think he was in quite a lot of pain too, so he had to step off. At the moment, his hand does not seem broken. I’m really disappointed that Lorenzo has to leave the race like this after being the red jersey wearer, but cycling can be a cruel sport.”
Team dsm-firmenich doctor Camiel Aldershof continued: “Unfortunately Lorenzo was involved in a crash today. He was checked by the race doctor and he was cleared to continue initially, but he had a lot of pain in his hand after the crash which meant he couldn’t hold his handlebars properly anymore, so he stopped the race. We then did some more checks and a scan, the latter of which did not show a fracture, but he will be further assessed back home in Italy before we think about making any decision on his return to riding.”
