Omega Pharma-Lotto’s three-time Tour of Flanders runner-up Leif Hoste was forced to abandon the Tour de Suisse yesterday after being involved in a crash. The Belgian was initially thought to have only superficial wounds, but upon further examination the x-rays showed he had broken his eye socket.
Luck hasn't been on the side of the Belgian team in Switzerland, with Gerben Löwik also leaving the race in the fifth stage after crashing into a group of spectators. The Dutchman came away with an open wound on his right leg, in addition to stitches on his lip and a concussion.
Hoste was hoping to ride the Belgian national championships next Sunday, but now his participation there, as well as in the Tour de France, are in question. The 32-year-old has had a tough season thus far with illness hampering his spring Classics campaign. He managed to finish a solid eighth in Paris-Roubaix despite his setbacks.