FIRST MEDICAL UPDATE DROPPED TIM WELLENS CONFIRMS SMALL SCRATCH WOUNDS
Tim Wellens comes with first update on fallen Pogacar: "It could have been much worse"
Just a touch of a rear wheel and the Tour can be over just like that. Luckily that didn't happen to Tadej Pogacar.
The defending champion did slide across the asphalt, but seemed spared any serious injuries.
"Tadej only has some scrapes," was the first update from teammate Tim Wellens. "But I think all in all he came away from it OK. It could have been a lot worse."
"He told me he was sliding toward a brush, but he didn't hit it."
In the end, the world champion didn't lose any time either because his competitors decided to wait. "That's super nice. I heard there was great fair play. That's great to hear."
"You never know what the consequences are after a crash," UAE team boss Mauro Gianetti told me. "But he was able to jump back on his bike almost immediately and the peloton waited. That was a great sign of respect. We take our hat off to them. But for Tadej, fortunately, it doesn't seem to be too bad, although we were scared for a while."
Although, of course, it remains to be seen how the world champion spends the night. Tomorrow, with the stage to Hautacam, one of the key stages in this Tour is scheduled.