What seemed like any other corner for young Belgian star Remco Evenepoel turned into life-threatening chaos in this morning’s Il Lombardia cycle race.
Evenepoel, who has won every stage race he has entered this year, misjudged a bend and catapulted over a bridge with 40 kilometres to go in the one-day race in Italy.
The 20-year-old fell 10 metres into a ravine before he was taken to hospital with a fractured pelvis. It’s understood he was conscious when medical staff reached him.
As if that wasn't enough though, the race drama only intensified with a car entering the closed-off course in the final kilometres, wiping out German champion Max Schachmann.
Fortunately, unlike Evenepoel, Schachmann escaped major injury and finished the race.
Avoiding all of the chaos though was Kiwi George Bennett who went on to claim an historic second-placed finish.
Just three days after winning the one-day Gran Piemonte, Bennett was right in the thick of it in the dying stages before eventually falling just off the pace.
However, he still became the first Kiwi to finish on the podium of one of cycling's "monument" races.
Bennett admitted he had mixed feelings about the result.
“If you told me at the start of the week I would've been happy with it, but I can't help feeling disappointed today,” he said after the race.
“I really thought I could win it.”
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