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Ryder Hesjedal on Garmin-Sharp’s crash in Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia

Dan Martin
May 10, 2014
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Dan Martin
Garmin-Sharp’s Dan Martin sits with a broken collarbone following a crash during Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia. Photo credit: RCS

On Friday, four Garmin-Sharp riders crashed on a wet Belfast road as they raced in the Giro d’Italia’s Stage 1 team time trial. Andre Cardoso, Koldo Fernandez, Nathan Haas and the team’s co-leader Dan Martin all hit the ground and suffered injuries. Martin was taken to a hospital right after the crash where he was diagnosed with a broken collarbone. Fernandez managed to get back on his bike and finish the stage. He was later diagnosed with broken clavicle also. Cardoso and Haas suffered what the team is calling “contusions and abrasions.”

“You never want to see something like this happen,” said Ryder Hesjedal, Marin’s fellow co-leader, in a statement. “Right now, I’m just concerned for my teammates, Koldo and Dan, and I’m especially sad for Dan. I know how much it meant to him to be racing here, and how much this race meant to him. But with that comes motivation for the rest of the guys here. We will regroup and refocus—we have a strong team here and we’re fighters. We will look for opportunities for the rest of the race and do everything we can to make Dan and Koldo proud. We may be down, but don’t count us out. These are moments that we will use as motivation to push us forward.”

While Hesjedal, along with Tyler Farrar, Fabian Wegmann, Dylan Van Baarle and Thomas Dekker finished the 21.7-km stage safely. They sit 3:26 behind leader Svein Tuft and five others of the Orica-GreenEdge team. Martin’s Giro looks to be finished. The team’s GC hopes may also be shattered.