The season for UAE Emirates XRG has started with victories - with Jay Vine winning the national time trial title and the Tour Down Under with a stage - but especially with bad luck.

In Australia, the first to end up in the infirmary was Colombian Jhonatan Narvaez, who suffered several stable compression fractures of the thoracic vertebrae. Following him, Norwegian Vegard Laengen was involved in another crash and is dealing with rib injuries.

Finally, misfortune took the shape of a kangaroo for Mikkel Bjerg: the Dane crashed on Sunday during the final stage, when the peloton had to contend with a kangaroo on the roadway, and suffered serious consequences.

As UAE Emirates XRG confirmed to the Danish newspaper DR Sporten, Bjerg has a fracture of the acromioclavicular joint (between shoulder blade and collarbone) and a hand fracture.

Recovery times have not been specified, but it seems almost certain that Bjerg will miss not only the next two Australian races but also the UAE Tour.