Beulah Hansgrohe, one of two WorldTour teams that started the Sibiu Tour with Israel's Startup Nation, had more success in the second stage, but one of the team's key riders, Rüdiger Selig, was injured. The German rider, one of Pascal Ackermann's main riders, collided with a car and injured his arm.

Ackermann won a group sprint in Sibiu on stage 2, while teammate Patrick Conrad defended the leader's jersey and Gregor Mühlberger retained his lead in the mountains.

Selig's crash occurred on the final climb, the category 3 Cargalulu, with around 25km to go. Conrad then suffered a puncture at the start of the climb. Mühlberger continued to crush the peloton on the climb after Conrad rejoined him, and Ackermann managed to take the stage win, but both men were worried about Selig.

"I'm really happy to start the season again with another win, but I'm a little disappointed because the guy I was leading out crashed with 25km to go and I still don't know how he's doing," Ackermann said after the stage.

Selig was checked out at the hospital for swelling in his arm and problems with shoulder movement.

Conrad said that while the goals of winning the stage and retaining the jersey were achieved, "Rudy hitting the bike in the last 50km was the worst. He hit the car in the last 50km. We can't change that."

"We're not going to change that.

Television footage of the first stage and Saturday's stage seemed to show a number of cars pulling over or stopping on the side of the road to allow the race to pass. Some of the roads were narrow and tricky in the small villages heading up the climb.

However, both Ackermann and Konrad praised the organization and said that at times the situation was unexpected.

"At first I thought it was a small race and maybe not perfect, but then we arrived here and we have a perfect hotel, good food, great roads, and great organization. I'm really surprised and glad I decided to start the season here. I'm sure I'll be back in a few years."

Conrad said the race is "well organized, but sometimes there are unexpected situations. I think we can always improve something. Overall it's a good race."

Conrad said, "It's a good race.

Racing continues on Sunday with a 12km uphill time trial and a final circuit race of 109km in Sibiu. The goal is to come in first and second in tomorrow morning's time trial. We'll see what happens. I want to win tomorrow and we'll see if that's possible. I think the form is great. It should be possible tomorrow."

Conrad said he still hasn't decided whether to use his road bike or his time trial machine for the morning stage. He said, "The climb tomorrow isn't so special that you can't say the time trial specialists don't have a chance to win. Some riders are looking at the time trial. For sure (I) will go 100% and hope I can defend.

Many riders wear face masks at the stage start to protect against coronavirus. Ackermann also wore a mask during his post-stage interview and on the podium.

Asked if he had anything to say to those who resist wearing face masks, he said, "We are not scared and I don't think we have a problem with the virus. Wearing a mask is safety first. It's light and easy to breathe, so I don't think it's a big deal for us to wear masks. I think we should take care of people all over the world. "

He and the other riders hope to continue this as the virus begins a surprising resurgence in some parts of Europe. Ackermann is aiming for the Tour de Pologne and then the Vuelta a España, while Konrad and Mühlberger have the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France scheduled, respectively.