Ellen van Dijk helps teammate to get the red jersey in the Vuelta, but crashes hard herself | Cycling

The flat team time trial through the streets of Valencia was perfect for Van Dijk, who is known as a pacer par excellence. The 37-year-old Dutch woman took Lidl-Trek in tow, but crashed in the last corner.

While Van Dijk licked her wounds, her teammates recorded the fastest time: 19.20. Gaia Realini crossed the line first and can therefore wear the first red leader’s jersey. The Italian finished third in the final classification of the Vuelta last year.

Van Dijk had a wound on her chin that required stitches. Her right shoulder and left knee were also damaged. “She is being taken to hospital for a check-up and to rule out fractures,” her team reports. “Fortunately, there are no signs of a concussion.”

The differences were unprecedentedly small on the Spanish east coast. The Visma-Lease a Bike of leader Marianne Vos was only two hundredths short of victory. Vollering and SD Worx gave up one second to winner Lidl-Trek.

The Vuelta continues on Monday with a largely flat stage. The Spanish stage race lasts until Sunday. Last year, the overall victory in the Vuelta fell to Annemiek van Vleuten, who has now retired, after a heated duel with Vollering.