French cyclist Auge in induced coma after crash

French cyclist Ronan Auge has been placed in a medically induced coma following a crash at the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia.

The 22-year-old sustained serious injuries on stage six of the UCI ProSeries event and was taken to hospital.

A statement from his team, Unibet Red Roses, described Auge’s condition as “currently stable and not life threatening.”

Auge’s crash is the latest in a series of serious incidents that have marred the sport of road cycling in recent months.

Six riders have died during road races in the past three years, including British cyclist Fin Tarling who was killed in a crash with a vehicle on the UCI Europe tour’s Volta a Portugal in August.

American rider Ezra Caudell was hospitalised last month with “multi-system trauma” following a crash at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.

The eight-stage Tour of Langkawi, which forms part of the UCI’s second tier tour, is staged on the western side of the Malaysian mainland and concludes on Sunday.