Kiwi cyclist Dion Smith has been in the wars during a chaotic Stage Nine of the Tour de France.
The 25-year-old suffered a fracture in his left thumb, a bruised cheek, bruised ribs and cuts in his hand, as he crashed during a stage that featured treacherous cobble-stone sections.
Team Wanty-Groupe Gobert tweeted that their team doctor was confident he'd be able to start Stage 10, which gets underway Tuesday night (NZ time) after a rest day.
"It was carnage," Smith told Newshub. "I was on a cobble section and everyone locked up in the bunch and I flipped over my handle bars.
"I suffered no serious injuries so I guess it isn't too serious."
There was also bad news for fellow Kiwi Patrick Bevin who lost his leading team jersey, after fellow BMC Racing Team rider Richie Porte was forced to withdraw from the Tour.
Porte came to grief 10km into the 156.5km stage from Arras Citadelle to Roubaix, breaking his collarbone.
It is the second year in a row BMC Racing Team rider Porte, one of the race favourites, has been forced to abandon the Tour.
"We are devastated to say that Richie Porte has crashed out of Stage Nine," BMC posted on Twitter.
"No one could have imagined this is the way Stage Nine would have started, but we still have seven riders in the race, and we are behind them 100 percent of the way."
Quick-Step Floors now hold the team leaders jersey.
Greg van Avermaet of Belgium still holds the race leader's yellow jersey, while Smith remains in a tie for second for the polka-dot climbers jersey.
Newshub.
