Jack Haig will miss the Olympics after his Tour crash
Jack Haig will miss the Olympics after his Tour crash
Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) will miss the upcoming Tokyo Olympics as he continues his recovery from a collarbone fracture sustained at the Tour de France.
In an Instagram post on Monday evening, Andorra time, Haig revealed that his injury was more serious than first thought.
“It’s been exactly two weeks since crashing out of the Tour de France,” Haig wrote. “Unfortunately my fracture was much [worse] than first expected. The surgery was long and more invasive than normal, making the recovery period longer. I should hopefully be outside on the bike by the end of this week. Unfortunately this means I will be missing out on the Olympics.”
Despite his disappointment, Haig was able to see the positives.
“On the upside it’s allowed me some time at home to be with the family and enjoy summer while I’m recovering,” wrote Haig, who has a young son with his wife Anna. “Thank you to everyone who has helped me in the recovery process and @teambahrainvictorious for being very understanding and giving me support necessary during this period.
“On to the next goals and races in the second part of the season.”
Haig crashed out of the Tour with 4 km remaining on a chaotic stage 3, suffering a fractured left collarbone and a concussion. The 27-year-old Australian was sitting sixth overall at the time of his crash in what was his first Grand Tour as his team’s GC leader.
Haig’s withdrawal from the Olympics throws the Australian men’s road race squad into further disarray. A little over a week ago Cameron Meyer withdrew from the Olympics in order to spend time with father, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. He was replaced in the Australian line-up by Lucas Hamilton, who subsequently crashed out of the Tour de France on stage 13, separating his AC joint in the fall. With the Tokyo road race just 11 days away, it’s not yet clear whether Hamilton will be able to take the start.
Richie Porte and Rohan Dennis are the two remaining members of the Australian men’s road cycling squad. AusCycling is expected to make an announcement soon about whether Hamilton will be able to take the start, and about who will replace Haig.
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