That's gonna hurt for good a while...
did I mention the "road rash" abrasions from falling on pavement?
Funny thing is, the fall was on one of the paved multi-lane highway portions of the route and not the tricky cobblestones or narrow paths. It's just the top riders and their supporting teammates were altogether so that when Van Aert's team decided to attack, there was a wind gust that led to his wheel touching the back wheel of the guy guiding him to the front. It also took down his top challenger and several other contenders.
It can get a bit like NASCAR in a bike race because they race so tightly together. No bump drafting, but "peloton" is associated with cycling to refer to the pack of cyclists that form one big aerodynamic mass for a race.
