Louis Meintjes was forced to withdraw from the Tour of California due to a wrist fracture he sustained in a crash with just 3km remaining during stage four of the event in Morro Bay yesterday.
The 27-year-old Dimension Data rider was part of a group that included other key general classification riders like EF Education First’s Tejay van Garderen when the accident happened.
Meintjes, who recently returned to racing at the Tour de Romandie after recovering from a groin injury following a crash at Paris-Nice, still completed yesterday’s stage, but was immediately seen by the team’s medical assistants at the finish.
He was then taken to a local hospital where a further examination was conducted. He will travel to Hamburg for treatment by a specialist hand surgeon.
The South African cyclist had shown good form on the tour, placing just outside the top 20 in the overall standings before stage five.
