Toward the end of Stage 5 of Volta a Catalunya Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s Tom Pidcock fell in the descent in the final kilometres of the stage.
Pidcock went off the road after misjudging a corner, crashing into a ravine. He did manage to get back to the road, changed bikes and finished the stage. Initial assessments are reassuring, with no immediate signs of serious injury.
“I was drinking on the descent and misjudged a corner. I overshot it and went down the ravine. It was like one of these horror crashes you see, but I’m very lucky that I am okay,” Pidcock said after the stage. “I’ll go for a check, but I think I’m okay.”
Saturday morning, his team gave an update, and it wasn’t quite as optimistic as he had thought.
“Due to his crash he suffered injuries, most likely bone and ligament damage in particular to his right knee and also right wrist. Unfortunately we had to make the decision to take him out of the race. Further clinical evaluation and imaging will follow in the next days additionally to the already initiated healing process,” a statement read.
The Brit will remain under close observation in the coming days, with further evaluations ongoing.
“We did everything to try to make it to the start but it’s not possible. I fought to finish the stage yesterday to make sure I had the option to continue. Now the focus is on recovery and I’ll be back,” the multi-disciplined star added.
“I am lucky I could talk on the radio. I was far from the road and nobody knew I was there. I’m happy I could finish the stage,” he posted on Instagram. “I’m going to self-proclaim as a ninja crasher.”
Pidock estimated he was riding around 60 km/h when he wend down. He’s not the only rider to abandon. National champ Derek Gee-West of Lidl-Trek also decided to retire, citing illness.