Michael Valgren fell first and brought down Michael Rogers, leaving both riders in bits and dazed on the side of the road.
Tinkoff-Saxo endured an horrendous outing in the elite men's team time trial at the World Road Championships in Richmond.
The team was down to five men when two of its riders fell in what looked like an extremely nasty smash that left severe road rash injuries.
Michael Valgren fell hard just before the second intermediate time check, bringing down team mate Michael Rogers who was just behind.
Both riders then skid across the road, with their shoulders appearing to absorb the brunt of the impact.
Michael Rogers posted this photo on Twitter with the caption: "This is an example why you should ALWAYS wear gloves when you ride a bike".
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While both looked fit for a hospital bed after the high speed and sudden spill, they remounted and continued.
And while the crash obviously brought the team’s hopes of a strong placing to an end, their completing the course was admirable.
They eventually finished last of the 27 teams, relinquishing just over eight minutes to BMC Racing, who won the 38.8km test to retain the title they claimed in Spain 12 months ago.
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They clocked a time of 42:08 to beat Etixx-Quick-Step by just 11 seconds. Taking the bronze medal, Movistar were a further 19 seconds down.
Tinkoff-Saxo crash! @richmond2015 #sbscyclingIt all came undone for Tinkoff-Saxo at the UCI Road World Championships TTT in Richmond Virginia.
Posted by SBS Cycling Central on Sunday, 20 September 2015
Michael Valgren, on the back of the group, looks very much the worse for wear despite remounting and finishing the test.
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