Steven Kruijswijk, who finished third at this year’s Tour de France, has been forced to abandon the Vuelta a España four days into the race with a knee injury as compatriot Fabio Jakobsen sealed a sprint victory on stage four.
Kruijswijk was among several Jumbo-Visma riders involved in a crash in the team time trial on the opening stage of the Vuelta which seriously harmed the team’s chances of challenging for the general classification.
The Dutchman was able to complete stages two and three but Jumbo-Visma announced in a brief statement on Twitter during Tuesday’s stage that he had withdrawn due to a sore knee, with the pain worsening since Saturday’s crash.
Kruijswijk was Jumbo-Visma’s co-leader at the Vuelta alongside the highly fancied Primoz Roglic, and his withdrawal is a blow for the Slovenian’s chances of an overall victory as the Dutchman is strong in mountain stages, where he would have been able to support his team mate.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Roche remains in the leader’s red jersey after coming home safely in the peloton as Jakobsen held off the challenge of Ireland’s Sam Bennett in a tight finish in El Puig.