Al Qaisumah Total: 662 km Special: 456 km
Despite Stage 5 being touted as a tough stage, Ashish had a great start with smooth navigation. He progressed quickly through the extremely difficult sections of the stage as he overtook several bikes and gained confidence. This was clear in his preliminary rankings which improved through each waypoint up to #75 at WP (Waypoint) 8. It was in this section, that he suffered a crash in the dunes. He was thrown off his bike and suffered an impact to his head. He was immediately evacuated in a helicopter to the end of the stage where an ambulance transported him to the nearest hospital.
Tests and a CT scan came back as clear. He is conscious with stable vitals and has been in touch with his family. He is currently being sent to a hospital in Ha'il (near the rest day bivouac) where he will be under observation for 24-48 hours in the ICU to relieve him of the pain and help him on his road to full recovery.
Needless to say, in true Ashish style, he is extremely disappointed with today's incident given how close he was to the finish line. Please extend your wishes and prayers for his swift recovery. We would like to thank the organizers for getting the medical and rescue teams on the spot and helping Ashish reach the hospital quickly.">
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