American Credit Agricole rider Saul Raison has slipped into a coma after crashing on the first stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe race, his team announced yesterday.

"After the doctors detected a haemorrhage, they attempted surgery which turned out to be impossible to conduct. He is in a coma and we are very concerned," Credit Agricole team official Michel Laurent said.

According to other riders, the 23-year-old Raison was on his own when he fell from his bike towards the end of Tuesday's Circuit de la Sarthe's stage.

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