Hammond crashes at Vuelta!
Cervélo TestTeam’s British sprinter Roger Hammond hit the deck with 3km to go as the peloton ramped up its speed for a sprint finish in the 16th stage from Córdoba to Puertollano at the Vuelta a España.
Hammond was fighting for position to set up the mass arrival when Julian Dean clipped his handlebars on the barriers along the side of the road. Hammond had nowhere to go, went right over the top of the bars and landed among a half-dozen riders on the road. Video clip: Click here >>
German ace André Greipel avoided the mayhem and easily won his third stage of this year’s Vuelta.
Alejandro Valverde retains the leader’s jersey and Cervélo’s Philip Deignan remained within the top 20 placed 18th (7:49)
“It was a little bit stressful in the finish. There was a crash just outside 3km to go. Roger went down, but I don’t think it’s anything serious. I just managed to avoid it and I didn’t get caught in the split, so I didn’t lose any time,” Deignan said. “I think tomorrow’s going to be a sprint and then there will be two quite hard days, so I hope to have good legs.”
General Classification after Stage 16:
| 1st | Alejandro Valverde | 69:59:34 | 37.05 km/h |
| 2nd | Robert Gesink | +0.31 | |
| 3rd | Samuel Sánchez | +1.10 | |
| 18th | Philip Deignan | +17.49 | |
| 24th | Jose Angel Gómez Marchante | +26.14 | |
| 33th | Íñigo Cuesta López | +49.52 | |
| 55th | Xavier Florencio | +1.09.00 | |
| 106th | Roger Hammond | +1.58.43 |