Sometimes, a sponsor's dollars hold a cycling team together – and sometimes it's the sponsor's sticky bandages.
The string of hard luck with crashes, injuries and punctures continued on Friday for the professional Team SpiderTech, sponsored by the businessmen's consortium C10, as it raced the Dwars door Drenthe in the Netherlands.
Guillaume Boivin of Longueil, Que,, Keven Lacombe of Montreal and U.S. member Bjorn Selander of Hudson, Wisc., all went down on the first approach to the Vamberg hill, while Martin Gilbert of Chateuguay, Que., suffered a puncture shortly after.
Lacombe, who is coming back from a season-ending injury last season, came out the worst with a lacerated hand and severely tore his fingernails.
Boivin suffered multiple contusions and will require additional evaluation. Selander did not suffer serious injuries.
"It's all tough to accept," said Steve Bauer, sports director for Team SpiderTech, "especially going into a race we were confident to get a great result -- and we come out hurt. I think both guys may need recuperation time... (but) we need their strength on the next races.
"We will need to evaluate their healing time and process, but it's a good thing we have that magic blue tape that helps with the healing," he said, referring to the name sponsor's kinesiology elastic tape.
Riders used the tape during and after races, to help save the body from grueling racing conditions, and to accelerate the recuperation.
Ryan Anderson of Vancouver and Hugo Houle of Ste. Perpétue, Que., were the sole riders from SpiderTech to finish the race. Anderson took 13th place, while Houle crossed the finish line in 42nd place. Both finished in the peloton, with the same time as the race winner, Theo Bos of Team Rabobank.