Garmin-Transitions rider Steve Cozza has added to the list of riders injured in this year’s Tour of Qatar, crashing in the middle stages of stage 2 and breaking his collarbone.
The incident happened as the lead held by breakaway duo of Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil) and Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) reached a peak of 22 minutes. No other teams, including the Sky team of race leader Edvald Boassen Hagen, were interested in chasing, wrote team director Johnny Weltz on Garmin-Transitions’ website.
“So we started to chase,” wrote Weltz “but after a right turn we headed into a strong cross-wind, and ‘it’ hit the fan! The field blew into several groups, but we were well presented in the front. Then in a moment a rider took out Martijn [Maaskant]’s front wheel so he and Cozza crashed, which cut Murilo off from front group as well. Cozza left with a broken collar bone.”
Cozza himself broke the news via his Twitter account, simply saying: “Broke my collarbone today. Already can't wait to get back to racing. I'll be stronger I know”
Also crashing and breaking his collarbone on stage 2 was Sky’s Norwegian champion Kurt Asle Arvesen, although it’s not clear whether or not both riders were injured in the same incident.
The men’s Tour of Qatar follows a crash hit women’s race where a number of riders were forced to abandon, including Cervélo’s Lizzie Armitstead and HTC-Columbia’s Chloe Hosking. US team rider Amber Rais crashed on the day before the race, fracturing her pelvis.