Ben Healy has been forced out of French stage race Etoile de Bessèges after a crash. The Irish rider, in his second season with EF Education-EasyPost, got back on his bike after the fall and finished the stage but was ruled out of any further action following medical checks.
And as he has suffered a broken bone, he will be out of action for a period. The news is a blow to Healy, who rode very well during the spring in Belgium and Italy last year and would have been going into those races this year with a lot more experience and condition.
The 21-year-old crashed on yesterday's stage 2 in France, when a number of pile-ups marred the racing; the final one with 22km remaining forcing the neutralisation of the stage. Healy got back on his bike after his crash and finished the stage before being taken for medical checks.
Advertisement
Related News
An X-ray revealed he has suffered a broken finger, which ruled him out of starting today's stage 3. His team confirmed he is now out of action for a period.
It initially confirmed Healy was involved in a crash earlier in the stage - rather than the final pile-up on a narrow bridge - and that he was undergoing medical examinations for a potential finger injury. An update has since confirmed a broken bone in one of his fingers.
"Ben Healy will not continue on in the Étoile de Bessèges due to injury. X-Ray confirmed a fracture of metacarpal," the team said, wishing Healy a quick recovery.
News of Healy's injury comes after fellow Irish rider Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) crashed on the opening stage of Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana on Wednesday, also suffering a hand injury, which meant he could not start stage 2 yesterday.
