Two cyclists were taken down during Sunday's Tour of Flanders in Belgium due to some careless driving by cars along the course.
New Zealand's Jesse Specter's race ended prematurely after colliding with a Shimano "neutral service" car that tried to squeeze between the group of riders that Specter was a part of and the side of the road. Specter crashed to the ground, suffering a broken left collarbone which will require surgery.
Another rider, Sébastien Chavanel, was knocked over as another Shimano neutral-service car slammed into the back of an FDJ team car. Ironically, Sébastien Chavanel rides for FDJ.
Needless to say, not a good look for Shimano, who has issued this statement:
H/T BI.
New Zealand's Jesse Specter's race ended prematurely after colliding with a Shimano "neutral service" car that tried to squeeze between the group of riders that Specter was a part of and the side of the road. Specter crashed to the ground, suffering a broken left collarbone which will require surgery.
Another rider, Sébastien Chavanel, was knocked over as another Shimano neutral-service car slammed into the back of an FDJ team car. Ironically, Sébastien Chavanel rides for FDJ.
The biggest victim of the day @FDJ #RVV #fail pic.twitter.com/u4FJCiV6ne
— Judy Van Impe (@JudyVanImpe) April 5, 2015Needless to say, not a good look for Shimano, who has issued this statement:
At Shimano we apologize for both incidents the Shimano sponsored neutral caused today at the Tour of Flanders.Hopefully some changes can be made to make future races safer.
We especially apologize to the riders and teams involved, Jesse Sergent of TREK Factory Racing and Sébastien Chavanel of Française des Jeux. We wish them a speedy recovery.
The drivers of the neutral cars are professionals with many years of experience in professional cycling races. We will investigate both incidents deeply and take appropriate action.
H/T BI.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
