Koldo crashes badly; Rubén 7th

After getting a fantastic start to the race yesterday, the team was quickly brought back down to earth today with Koldo crashing badly in a mass pile-up with 200 metres to go and Rubén losing his overall lead. The break had been caught and the sprint was just about to get started for real when somebody touched wheels and brought with them a host of riders. I didn't get to see the crash myself, but I heard several Euskaltel riders hit the tarmac. Worst off though was no doubt Koldo who, after crossing the line, was taken to hospital where he'll stay overnight. Allegedly his head took a severe beating, so here's to a quick recovery! As mentioned, Rubén lost his overall lead to Leigh Howard and is now second overall. But Rubén didn't give it away without a fight; he finished a creditable seventh in the sprint chaos. The rest of the guys, except for Daniel who came in 4:44 down, rolled in with the pack.