Simon Yates’s Tour Down Under could be over after heavy crash leaves him with knee injury

Yates will be assessed ahead of the third stage after taking a ‘heavy knock’

One of the many crashes during the Tour Down Under (EPA)

Briton Simon Yates’ Tour Down Under could be over after he suffered a knee injury in a nasty crash on stage two of the race.

The Mitchelton-Scott rider was involved in an incident 1.4 kilometres from the finish of the 135.8km Woodside-Stirling stage which claimed several victims, including the Israel Start-Up Nation team’s Ben Hermans, who sustained a fractured collarbone.

Yates will be assessed ahead of the third stage after taking a “heavy knock” to his left knee which saw him driven back to his Adelaide hotel in a team van with his knee bandaged and iced after he struggled to finish.

A post on Mitchelton-Scott’s official Twitter feed on Wednesday read: “Simon Yates took a heavy knock to his left knee in the crash today. He will be assessed this evening before a decision on his continuation tomorrow.”

The stage was won by Australia’s Caleb Ewan, who now leads the general classification, ahead of reigning champion Daryl Impey and Nathan Haas.

PA