Van Den Broeck's account:
“I was very lucky. Contador crashed but it was his own mistake. Everybody was at ease. I was riding behind my teammates who were leading the peloton. I left a bit of a gap to keep things safe. Apparently he felt the need to overtake me. It was in his typical style, standing on the pedals. He hits a pothole and goes over the handlebars. His head was next to my front wheel. He could’ve taken me with him. I can’t understand why you take that many risks to move up one spot,” Van Den Broeck said after crossing the finish line.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he’s out of the race by the way I saw him crashing. It happened just next to me. It was a terrifying crash. I was surprised he managed to continue. He took risks, especially at that moment in the race. He was completely isolated. If you’re then going to sprint by everyone on a descent full of potholes and you hit one, then you go over the handlebars.”
jono