Team managers, riders and officials called for the Ghent-Wevelgem ProTour classic's finishing descent to be changed after more than a dozen cyclists were involved in a series of bloody crashes. French rider Jimmy Casper was the most seriously hurt racing down the slippery cobblestones of the Kemmel descent on Wednesday. He broke his jaw, sprained his wrist and received cuts and bruises, according to AP. Other cyclists broke ribs, fingers, collarbones, knee caps and shoulders on the hazardous surface that had felled numerous riders in past years. «That descent is a bit extreme,» former world champion Tom Boonen said Thursday. «You won't hear from me that it should be included» in future races. Belgian Cycling Union director Tom Van Damme said the Kemmel hill should be removed from the race, and was supported by Casper team leader Hilaire Van Der Schueren. «The descent does not lead to a separation (of riders), but for havoc,» Van Damme told VRT television. Belgium's newspapers concurred. «Never Again,» read the De Standaard headline, while another Flemish daily, Het Nieuwsblad, said the Kemmel was «again a battlefield.» However, some other teams said the Kemmel climb and descent added character and excitement to the race, despite almost annual injuries to riders trying to find the quickest way over the hill. «Isn't scrapping it a bit drastic?» Quick Step team leader Wilfried Peeters asked. «The Kemmel also has advantages: it's a dream decider for this race.» Marcus Burghard of Germany won the 69th edition of the 210-kilometer (130-mile) classic raced over mostly flat countryside in northern Belgium. -- SPA
