Giro d'Italia: Adam Hansen not letting hand injury derail Grand Tour streak

Retired German cyclist and former ‘Hour Record’ holder Jens Voigt once told Eurosport “If you think I am a hard man, [Adam Hansen] is twice as hard,” and once again the two-time Crocodile Trophy winner is proving just that.

The Lotto Soudal rider suffered what is suspected to be a bone fracture in his right palm in a crash on the 14th stage of the 100th Giro d’Italia. However, the who holds the record for most consecutive Grand Tours completed (16) is not phased by the injury and says he will motor on.

“It’s something in the palm,” Hansen told cycling journalist and author Rupert Guinness prior to Monday’s rest day. “I don’t know the bone, not very good with the bones … [but it’s] not too good.”

According to Hansen, the fall was nothing out of the ordinary.

“When you go into the climbs guys sit up and swing off and a guy in front of me swung off and clipped my front wheel,” he told Guinness. “[It happened while] coming into the city centre on the cobbles, so I’ve got no road rash.”

As far as if this will derail his 17th consecutive Grand Tour, Hansen, who has completed every Grand Tour since the 2011 Vuelta a España, was not overly concerned: “For sure, it’s my hand not my legs.”

Hansen’s Lotto squad enjoyed its best result of the giro on stage 2 with teammate André Greipel recording his seventh Giro stage victory. However, no with all the sprint stage behind them, Hansen said the door is still open for another result or two.

“This opens up opportunities for other riders which is good,” said Hansen. “We’ve go maxims were protecting for gc and some stages coming up and [we’ll] see how it goes day by day.”