Bad news for UAE and Pogacar: Tim Wellens out for spring season
A bitter pill for Tim Wellens and his team UAE Emirates XRG: the Belgian champion has to skip the remaining spring classics. The experienced rider announced this via Instagram. Wellens broke his clavicle in a crash at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday.
"The classics are over before they even really started," he begins his post on Instagram. "My right clavicle is broken. The surgery went well thanks to the excellent medical team at the hospital. My recovery has already begun."
"I’m really sorry to miss the upcoming races, but I will fully support my teammates from home. Thanks to everyone for all the messages. Responses might be a bit slower now with just one arm," he says, showing he hasn’t lost his sense of humor.
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The crash involving Wellens happened more than a hundred kilometers from the finish line. The UAE Emirates XRG rider slid off the road on the left side. He got back up but clearly walked into the field in a lot of pain. His race was over.
Wellens’ absence is a major setback for UAE Emirates XRG and team leader Tadej Pogacar. The Belgian is one of the key domestiques for the Slovenian in races like Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix.
