Cannondale-Garmin was attentive and active on the front of the peloton during the second half of today’s fifth stage of the Tour de France with Andrew Talanksy, Kristijan Koren and Dan Martin finishing in the front group. The flat stage, one earmarked for the sprinters, proved far more chaotic than the profile suggested due to heavy rain and blustering winds.

The day was dominated with crashes, particularly the first half the stage. Jack Bauer crashed heavily and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He suffered a fracture of the greater trochanter of his left hip. He remains under the close supervision of the medical team and will return to Girona in the coming days. His health is the team’s top priority and he will continue to be monitored closely by the team’s medical staff.

“It was a stressful day even for the Tour de France,” said sport director Charley Wegelius. “High winds in multiple direction changes made positioning in the peloton extremely difficult. It resulted in multiple crashes. We’re very sad to lose Jack and we will be thinking of him as we continue the race.”

“On the brighter side, we got Andrew and Dan through the stage and they finished in the front group,” Wegelius added. “We were on the front to be proactive – best to take the initiative in those cases to the be the safest. The guys showed they are ready to fight all the way to Paris.”