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Updated with statement from Lotto-Soudal: Tiesj Benoot out of Paris-Roubaix after crash involving Team Jumbo Visla car

Incident will doubtless put spotlight back on rider safety

Lotto-Soudal's Tiesj Benoot has abandoned Paris-Roubaix this afternoon following a crash reportedly involving a Team Jumbo-Visla car.  

In a statement this evening, his team said: "The 117th edition of Paris-Roubaix, won by Philippe Gilbert, became one of bad luck for Lotto Soudal.

"In an effort to return to the head of the race after an earlier crash and puncture, Tiesj Benoot collided with a team car.

"Examination in the hospital has shown that both the right hip and right shoulder are heavily bruised. There is also a crack in the right collarbone. Besides, Benoot incurred various cuts and bruises.

"Tomorrow, further examinations will follow to make a definitive diagnosis. The Lotto Soudal rider will not start in the Amstel Gold Race next Sunday."

The incident will undoubtedly see renewed examination of the safety of riders in relation to motor vehicles forming part of the race convoy, and comes on one of the sport’s biggest days of the year.

The crash was reported by the Belgian broadcaster Sporza with a little more than 70 kilometres of the race remaining.

The Belgian was said to be in tears after the crash and his Lotto-Soudal team subsequently confirmed that he had been taken to hospital for a check-up.

The 25-year-old, ninth in last Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and whose biggest career win to date came in last year’s Strade Bianche, had been seen as one of the leading contenders for today’s race.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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jollygoodvelo | 5 years ago
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I have to say I was more worried by the accident where Taco van der Hoorn was motionless on the ground for a number of seconds after crashing into a field, and then apparently carried on in the race.  It's 2019 and cycling needs to be extremely careful with concussion protocols, riders shouldn't simply be able to demand 'put me back on my bike' or sooner or later we will have a tragedy.

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AlsoSomniloquism | 5 years ago
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There was a brief shot of a JV car missing its rear windowscreen so it was probably the one hit. Watching Van Aert cyclocrossing his way through the cars plus also one scene where a motorbike almost piled into a car when they were suddenly stopped by an organisers car at a tight corner, it definitely is not a good place to be. 

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