Sam Welsford has been making a name for himself in top flight sprinting after switching from track to road but the Australian was in the news for the wrong reasons today.
The Team DSM rider crossed the line 1st on the opening stage at the Four Days of Dunkirk but was relegated after it was found he caused a crash right before the finish line by deviating from his line.
Welsford, who has already won a stage at the Tour of Turkey this year and claimed 3rd at Scheldeprijs, moved to his left with his elbow out during the sprint, just as Lotto Soudal's Arnaud De Lie was trying to pass him.
Welsford nudged De Lie and the Belgian rider bumped Dan McLay (Arkéa-Samsic) as all three were in full flight. That move by Welsford caused De Lie and McLay to crash, while some of the riders behind them also came down.
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While Welsford got to the line 1st, he was relegated to the back of the field and the stage win went to Arvid de Kleijn (Human Powered Health).
Lotto Soudal said De Lie had been taken to hospital for checks and while no broken bones had been diagnosed, concussion was suspected. Team DSM directeur Roy Curvers told Wielerflits.nl that, irrespective of Welsford deviating from his line, he believed his team had put in a strong performance.
"You can argue for a long time about the fall, but in the end it is the jury that makes the decision," Curvers said. "Looking purely at how we performed, I saw a strong team taking control of the race. The lead-out was certainly good, the victories will follow if we continue like this."
