Lawson Craddock fractured wrist, rib and sternum when he crashed in the Tour Down Under’s fourth stage on Friday. After the first 25 kilometres, the Texan “crashed hard” in a ditch when his tyre punctured while the peloton was speeding down a wide road.

Craddock helped Marcel Kittel win the People’s Choice Classic and worked to protect Tom Dumoulin’s third place overall in the Tour Down Under. He abandoned the stage immediately today for examinations at the hospital, where race coach Addy Engels visited him.

“Lawson has a lot of pain,” Engels explained. “Now, the doctors are unable to say much about how long he has to stay in the hospital. The doctor told me that he has broken his wrist, a rib and sternum. Tomorrow morning, they will review the situation and be able to tell us more.”