Six Giant-Alpecin riders are being treated in hospital following a head on collision with a car, reportedly driven by a British woman, at a training camp in Spain yesterday.
The team were reportedly riding side by side on their own side of the road near Calde, when they were hit head-on by a vehicle coming in the opposite direction.
The riders involved in the crash were Warren Barguil (FRA), John Degenkolb (GER), Chad Haga (USA), Fredrik Ludvigsson (SWE), Ramon Sinkeldam (NED) and Max Walscheid (GER).
Warren Barguil (FRA) suffered a fractured scaphoid that may require surgery.
John Degenkolb (GER), who has already had surgery to a cut on his upper leg following the collision, is now receiving treatment to his hand and to a fracture on his forearm. Degenkolb suffered a partially detached finger in the crash.
On his Facebook page, en route to a larger hospital in Valencia to have his left index finger “restored”, Degenkolb wrote: “I'm all right, considering the circumstances. Under general anesthesia were earlier the wounds on the thigh, forearm and lip sewn.
He said of the finger: “He just hung on the last corner to my hand.”
Chad Haga (USA) was airlifted to hospital, where surgery to neck and chin wounds was successfully carried out. An orbital fracture will be treated later, it is understood.
Frederick Ludvigsson (SWE) and Ramon Sinkeldam (NED) received scratches and bruises all over their bodies, while Max Walscheid (GER) has a fractured hand and tibia, on which surgery is likely required.
Team CEO, Iwan Spekenbrink, said: “It has been a very tough day for the team and the riders will need time to recover. This team — riders, both men and women, and everyone in the organization — feels like a band of brothers and sisters. Together, and by standing by each other, the team will come out of this stronger than ever.”
Following the collision yesterday team physician Anko Boelens “Everyone on the team is in shock right now, and there are some major issues that we need to take care of, but we also realize that we have had some luck on our side”.
“Everyone is conscious, stable and approachable, but we are waiting for the latest information and consult the doctors in those hospitals about the treatments needed for the riders.”
Adriano Malori in intensive care after Tour de San Luis crash (+ video)
It was a terrible 24 hours for the professional peloton, with Movistar’s Adriano Malori admitted to intensive care on Friday night during the final 30km of stage five the Tour Down Under. Malori had hit a pothole at the front of the peloton, flipping him off his bike and causing a pile up. Malori has since been reported as stable, with signs of improvement, by Movistar.
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Holy carp! I rode that very road last summer.
Big expat community in the area.
GWS guys.
The website of a weekly cycling periodical is reportiing that a 73 year British woman has been charged with reckless driving.
Hope Spanish law is far more vigorous on drivers like her ?
Will the 'sun got in my eyes excuses' and therefore £400 fine be OK in Spain hope nope, she deserves serious jail time.
There is certainly hope. A friend, who lives out there, tells tales of police who stopped him walking his dog in the dry river bed and fined him 90 euros, whilst blithely ignoring the numerous Spanish dog walkers. In the local bar where he spends his evenings the owner calls him 'woof woof'.
Sounds like another case of Top Gear thrill-seeking driving style.
In Clarkson voice. "An open road... Let's see what this baby can do... into..the cornerrrrrs!"
whaaaaatt!?? Cyclists??!!
Monkey see. Monkey do.
Wishing the team a swift recovery.
HTF has she hit them? Straightish road, good sight lines, double whites so no overtaking. Unless bad weather she should have seen them from over half a mile away...
So that's pretty much the entire team wiped out for the season - and a big bill for new bikes based on the photos. Guessing there will be some Continental team riders getting an unexpected promotion for the Classics & Giro.
Sounds like a perfect storm
BBC says the driver was British and driving on the wrong side of the road. Quelle surprise...
It is being reported on all the cycling outlets and she went head on into the group at speed. Latest we read is that JD had his index finger nearly severed and may lose it
Hope they all get well soon, as for the car driver I hope the team had a camera so they can track him down
Plenty of twitter rumour-mongering that it was a British woman driving. Understand further reports that it was a black Audi are wide of the mark.
That's, Umm, rumour-mongering. But you called it rumour-mongering. So you're not like THOSE rumour-mongerers.