Adam Yates finished second overall on the UAE Tour, but not before suffering a scare in a dramatic crash about 40 km from the end of stage 7 on Saturday.
Ineos Grenadiers crashed hard on the track during a seemingly innocuous phase of the race. Whether he touched the driver’s steering wheel in front of him or hit something on the road was unclear, but Yates hit the steering wheel in the face, with a few other drivers also falling as a drag effect.
Yates suffered several cuts to his face and was seen bleeding.
He stayed off the bike for several minutes, while he treated the cuts with tissues and rinsed his mouth.
The platoon declined to allow him and the other pilots trapped in the incident – which included several of his teammates Ineos Grenadiers – to recover the platoon.
The British pilot continued to seek medical assistance after returning to the pack, returning to the medical car, where his cuts were treated.
Despite the fall, his legs did not appear affected. He had no trouble returning to the pack and remained safe in the group upon arrival.
The crash came shortly after his grenadiers Ineos started the race with cross-wind attacks in an attempt to depose Tadej Pogačar (United Arab Emirates) as general leader.
Pogačar was alert to the danger, however, and managed to stay in the Yates group that separated from the rest of the pack.
Yates finally finished in the pack, which means he seals the second place overall. The 28-year-old hoped to defend the title after winning the overall classification, but a highly motivated opponent Tadej Pogačar proved difficult to overcome.