Andrea Guardini's further participation in the Tour de Langkawi is uncertain after the record-holder of stage wins hit the deck in today's crash-marred finish to the second stage. With a big wound on his leg, the Italian has been brought to hospital where the team will learn more about his chances to continue the race.

With 12 stage wins in just three participations in the race, Andrea Guardini (Astana) is the most successful rider in the Tour de Langkawi history and the Italian had travelled to Malaysia with plenty of confidence, hoping that he could add to his tally in the 10-day race. For the first time, however, he may be forced to leave the race empty-handed after he went down in the big crash that marred the finish in today's second stage.

Yesterday Guardini had been left frustrated when the peloton failed to catch the early breakaway and it was even more frustrating for him to win the peloton's sprint for 5th as it left him wondering what might have been. Today he was keen to make amends and it was his Astana team that did most of the chase work to catch the day's early break.

However, it all came to nothing when a big crash happened inside the final kilometre, and while Theo Bos and Graeme Brown cruised across the line for a Belkin 1-2, Guardini was left on the ground, later seen being barely able to walk into the ambulance. Now his team reports that his further participation is in doubt.

“Big crash maybe 700m from the finish – Guardini was in it, he suffered the worst," sports director Alexandr Shefer said. "There’s a big gash in his leg, just a hole in the flesh – he finished the race but we have to take him to the hospital now. It looks unstitchable, we won’t know anything more until later this evening.”

If Guardini has to leave the race, it will be a huge blow for Astana which will have to shift its attention to Ruslan Tleubayev in the sprints and GC rider Alexandr Dyachenko who lost time yesterday when he was badley positioned on the wrong side of a split in the finale.