The images after the crash show the race radio in the exact spot where Cherel (right) hit the road and shredded his jersey. On the left, Chetout, suffered a shredded back and ripped jersey on his left side. And while his race radio is on his right he was simply lucky not to land on it as Cherel did.
Video Vuelta riders backs shredded around race radio
The safety debate around race radio packs being worn on riders' backs will likely gather steam after a crash on stage 9 of the Vuelta today.
As the riders headed onto the Puerto del Pico climb, a crash occurred at the back of the field.
Loic Chetout (Cofidis) Mickael Cherel (AG2R-La Mondiale) came down; in the gutter and on the tarmac respectively.
The backs of their jerseys where shredded. The Cofidis rider’s road rash was already clear to see.
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And when he and Cherel take stock after the stage they will find themselves with plenty of road rash and abrasions.
Crashes are a feature of cycling of course; even among the expert bike handlers in the pro peloton.
But one feature of this incident is the race radio packs, which are solid like a chunky mobile phone.
Mickael Cherel fell on his back and his jersey is shredded where his race radio pack is located. Indeed the race radio is visible through the torn jersey.
Loic Chetout was “lucky” to fall on the side opposite to his race radio. But the extent of his back injury shows he was simply fortunate not to fall on the other side and land on the radio.
Riders crashing to the tarmac and landing on a solid race radio on their bikes carries an obvious risk.
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The European Cycling Union has already expressed its concern about race radio safety. And it does not allow them at the European Road Race Championships events.
It wants more research done to establish if the significant number of spine fractures in crashes is linked to the radio pack.
Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) is one of those riders to suffer a fractured spine; at last year’s Tour de France.
And he suffered another back injury – soft tissue rather than a fracture - at this year’s Tour.
He shared photos of that injury as he started the Vuelta; still nowhere near fully recovered six weeks after his spill.
Others to suffered fractured spines of late include Pierre Latour, Vincenzo Nibali, Matteo Trentin Tony Martin and Mikel Landa.
The aftermath of today's crash, and the riders' injuries, can be seen in the clips below, published on the Vuelta social media channels.
And the immediate aftermath of the crash can be viewed here. That the AG2R-La Mondiale man landed right on his bike is clear to see.
?? Auténticos luchadores | Real warriors #LaVuelta18 pic.twitter.com/d1kShHofTB
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 2, 2018
?? @LoicChetout... #LaVuelta18 pic.twitter.com/6HOgID8msv
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 2, 2018
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