French Cyclist Nicolas Debeaumarche Suffers Severe Injuries in Tour of Poland Crash

French cyclist Nicolas Debeaumarche incurred significant vertebral fractures following a serious crash during stage three of the Tour of Poland. The accident, involving a collision with a concrete water duct, happened when he was part of a leading breakaway group. He remains hospitalized.

French cyclist Nicolas Debeaumarche of Cofidis sustained serious back injuries after a crash on stage three of the Tour of Poland on Wednesday. Debeaumarche veered off the road during a descent, colliding with a concrete water duct, with 54 kilometers remaining in the 156.5km stage from Walbrzych to Duszniki-Zdroj. At the time, he was part of a 10-man breakaway group leading the race.

"Nicolas was taken to hospital; he suffered vertebral fractures and remains in hospital," a Cofidis spokesperson said. Belgian Thibau Nys claimed victory on the stage, while Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard holds the overall lead. Vingegaard, who recently recovered from a crash in the Tour of the Basque Country, finished second in this year's Tour de France.

This incident is one of several serious crashes in the Tour of Poland in recent years. Belgian Bjorg Lambrecht tragically died after a crash in 2019, and in 2020, Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen was placed in a medically-induced coma after colliding with compatriot Dylan Groenewegen, who was disqualified for dangerous behavior.

(With inputs from agencies.)