Tour de France Rider Finishes Stage with No Memory of Brutal High-Speed Crash

Alex Molenaar was center of a brutal high-speed crash the tore apart the final of stage 5 of the Tour de France, but he doesn’t know a thing about it.

The 26-year-old came to the line in Pau dazed, confused, and 7 minutes back after Wednesday’s stage having plowed full speed into a traffic island.

According to AS, the dizzied Dutchman has no memory of a collision that had a significant impact on the finale of the Tour’s first sprint stage.

“I don’t remember how the crash happened,” Molenaar told the Spanish outlet.

Moleenar’s team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA later reported that the rider fractured a metacarpal bone in his hand.

But it seems the damage was far worse. The jury’s post-stage medical bulletin lists that Molenaar suffered a concussion.

The incident raises questions about the proper application of the UCI’s “concussion protocol.” The governing body mandates that race medics run riders suspected of head injuries through a series of tests before they’re allowed to get back on the bike.

Correct application of this protocol should be at the center of a sport that’s putting safety at the top of the agenda after a notable increase in devastating high-speed crashes.

However, implementing the protocol amid the madness of a bike race is not straightforward. Molenaar’s stage 5 crash occurred at 5.4km to go, leaving medics little time to take action.

AS reported medics immediately screened Molenaar for head injuries at the finish line.

Team Caja Rural confirmed Wednesday night that Molenaar would become the 5th rider to abandon the Tour de France having broken his hand.

No mention was made of the concussion, an injury that can sideline riders for months and leave a long hangover of symptoms.

“The tests carried out after the conclusion of the day in Pau have revealed that the cyclist suffers a fracture in the first metacarpal of his right hand, which makes it impossible to continue competing in the Tour de France. In addition to that rupture, Molenaar suffers several contusions at different points of his body,” read the note.

Molenaar’s exit is a blow for the Spanish wildcard in its long-awaited return to the Tour.

He was a key protagonist in the team and wore the polka dot jersey for a day during the Barcelona grand départ.