Kristoffer Skjerping can count himself very lucky that he 'only' came away with severe road rash after a crash at the Belgium Tour. The Norwegian, riding for Cannondale, will be off the bike for up to a week to allow his wounds to heal.
One of the riders who crashed on the penultimate stage of the Belgium Tour at the weekend has lashed out at what he says is the reckless way some moto marshals drive in professional races.
Norwegian rider Kristoffer Skjerping (23) posted a picture of himself on his own personal instagram this week with the following message beside it.
“Two motorcycles crashed into the Belgium Tour peloton on Saturday, causing a serious crash that ultimately cancelled the stage.
“Many riders were involved. I was one of them and this is how my Tour ended.
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“I have road rash all over my body, and my elbow is just getting worse. I'm in a lot of pain because of the loss of so much skin.
“X-rays shows that I have no fractures, but will do some more scans this week. They tell me that I'm lucky. It could have been much worse.”
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Indeed, one rider who came off far worse than the Cannondale man was Lotto-Soudal rider Stig Broeckx and at the time of publication, he was in a coma.
“What a nightmare. We are risking our lives because the UCI won't take responsibility to address this issue," continued Skjerping.
“Why are all these incidents with motorcycles and not service cars?
“Because the directors are all retired cyclists, and they know how to pass the peloton in a safe way.
“Cycling is in many ways an extreme sport, and if you never did a race you could never imagine how intense it is.
“We were going In 80 km/h when two motos came past us on the left on the bike path.
“It happened on a steep descent, before a right turn. The bike path stopped, and they both slipped on the grass lost control and came sideways trough the peloton.
“Don't tell me that's bad luck. It's just crazy, and it has to stop! My thoughts are with Stig, his team, family and friends. Hope you wake up soon!”
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