Another Tour De France crash forces another Aussie out of the race
Lucas Hamilton was caught up in a crash on Stage 13 which saw a number of riders hit the loose gravel, with some tumbling down the edge of a steep slope into the trees.
At the start of the stage, Australia’s Team BikeExchange was one of the few teams that still had their full squad. At the end of the 219.9km stage, they were down two riders, with both climbers Simon Yates and Lucas Hamilton forced to abandon after getting caught up in the crash which happened just 62km from the finish line.
Both riders remounted and tried to continue the race, but their injuries were too severe, forcing them both to abandon.
A medical update post-race confirmed that Hamilton suffered a right shoulder injury and X-rays showed an acromioclavicular joint dislocation. Yates had trauma to his abdominal wall and was transferred to hospital in Carcassonne for CT scans, which showed no fractures or internal injuries.
Hamilton, 25, who was making his Tour de France debut, and Yates, 28, are both set to make their Olympic debut in Tokyo on July 24. Hamilton’s spot on the Australian team was only announced last week after Cameron Meter pulled out due to family reasons.
Sports director from Team BikeExchange said, "They're two athletes who are preparing for the Olympic Games, and for those guys to crash out of the race two or three weeks before the Olympics is pretty devastating for those guys. Fingers crossed they're OK and it doesn't affect their Olympic campaigns as well."
Australian cyclists still in the Tour De France:
Richie Porte
Michael Matthews
Ben O'Connor
Luke Durbridge
Simon Clarke
Harry Sweeny
OUT:
Caleb Ewan
Jack Haig
Lucas Hamilton
Miles Scotson
