Crashes are an occupational hazard in the life of the professional cyclist and that risk is amplified still further when the action moves to the cobbles of Flanders, but even allowing for that caveat, Wednesday?s Dwars door Vlaanderen was a notably incident-strewn race. The most high-profile crashes were the near identical incidents involving Lars Boom (Astana) and Stijn Devolder (Trek Factory Racing) whose wheels slipped from under them in at more or less the same spot on the rain-soaked descent of the Paterberg. For good measure, the television motorbike following Boom also slid off the road on the same patch of wet, muddy tarmac. There was particular frustration for Boom, who was in the process of soloing across to the winning break, having already made up 30 seconds of his one-minute deficit after impressively punching his way clear of the chasers on the preceding climb, the Oude Kwaremont.ADVERTISEMENT Boom managed to pick himself and ride to the finish line in Waregem, where he immediately sought the sanctuary of his Astana bus after the race, but the team later confirmed to Cyclingnews that the Dutchman had not suffered any lasting injury in the incident. Devolder, too, recovered sufficiently to make his way with a bloodied face to the finish in Waregem, where he was taken to hospital for further assessment. His Trek Factory Racing team later reported that he had suffered no broken bones in the crash, though he has sustained an injury to the same elbow he fractured in a crash at last year?s Tour of Flanders. More worrying, however, was a statement by directeur sportif Dirk Demol on the team website, which suggested that Devolder had briefly lost consciousness as a result of the crash, yet was allowed to remount his bike and ride to the finish. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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