Richard Carapaz is out of the Tour de France after being diagnosed with a fractured kneecap, suffered during his stage 1 crash. The EF Education-EasyPost rider got back on his bike and rode the final 22km of the stage in Bilboa, losing over 15 minutes to stage winner Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates).
He needed stitches to close the wound to his knee after the stage and when he visited the X-ray truck on site at stage end the small fracture to his kneecap was diagnosed. His team immediately announced he was out of the race. When he returned to his team bus after completing the stage, he was greeted by chanting fans, video below.
Though he finished the stage, Carapaz clearly struggled to walk to and from the X-ray truck, such was the level of discomfort caused by the injury.
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"Richard Carapaz will not start stage 2 of the Tour de France after an ultrasound scan revealed a small fracture in his left kneecap," EF Education-EasyPost said in a statement.
"He also needed three stitches to close the cut on the same knee. Richard suffered no other injuries in the crash and will return home to begin his recovery. Heal up campeón. We’ll bring your attacking spirit to the rest of this Tour."
Enric Mas (Movistar Team) also came down in the same crash - at almost 60km per hour - and he abandoned at the side of the road, after suffering a shoulder injury. His team confirmed after the stage he had sustained a "right scapula fracture, without displacement" as well as "superficial abrasions on arms and legs".
"He remains under observation per hospital protocol to monitor his evolution for the next few hours. The team would like to express its gratitude for the care received from the health services of the Tour and the Hospital Universitario de Cruces."
