Hart thanked his team for putting his health first
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Tao Geoghegan Hart withdew from Paris-Nice after being taken to hospital following a cycling crash in which he landed on his head on Wednesday.
The Giro d'Italia winner came off his bike on the descent of the penultimate climb, Mont Brouilly, around 19km from the end of the 187.6km fourth stage from Chalon-sur-Saone to Chiroubles.
The 25-year-old Londoner remounted and attempted to finish the stage with the help of his Ineos Grenadiers team-mates but was in obvious pain, and the team revealed after the stage they were concerned he had taken a blow to the head in the incident.
Hart tweeted: Landed on my head today. “Thank you @INEOSGrenadiers & the medical team for putting my long-term welfare first when it was clear I wasn’t 100%.
“Little rest, no screen-time & hopefully back soon. Ciao all x”.
Landed on my head today. Thank you @INEOSGrenadiers & the medical team for putting my long-term welfare first when it was clear I wasn’t 100%. Little rest, no screen-time & hopefully back soon ❤️. Ciao all 👋 x
— Tao Geoghegan Hart (@taogeoghegan) March 10, 2021
Sports director Gabriel Rasch said: "On the descent there his front wheel slipped in the corner. He was in fourth position so it was really bad luck. I don't know if there was some gravel or why exactly he slipped.
"He landed on his face and his head and his knee pretty badly. He felt a bit dizzy and we thought it was the right decision to stop him and not take any risks."
Jumbo-Visma's Primoz Roglic attacked from the peloton three kilometres from the summit finish to take victory, and with it claimed the leader's yellow jersey from Stefan Biggegger of EF Education-Nippo.
Roglic now leads the race by 35 seconds from Bora-Hansgrohe's Max Schachmann.
Meanwhile, Roglic's team-mate Wout Van Aert won the opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico in a sprint finish, with general classification hopes Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates finishing safely in the pack.
