Kim Kirchen emerges from coma

Team Katusha has confirmed that Luxembourg rider Kim Kirchen, twice a top-ten finisher in the Tour de France and former wearer of the maillot jaune, has emerged from the induced coma he was placed into after collapsing following Friday’s stage of the Tour of Switzerland.

In a communication on its website, the Russian team said that Kirchen had shown “good signals” straight away by recognising his wife and his father. It added that he asked what had happened, because he couldn’t remember.

Initial fears were that Kirchen had suffered a heart attack, but Katusha’s statement said that no problem had so far been found with the rider’s heart and lungs, adding that tests would continue to find out what caused the problem.