One of the world's top cycling teams is reeling today after a training ride in southern Spain went horribly wrong.
The Giant-Alpecin team were riding near Calpe yesterday when a motorist, reportedly a British tourist, crashed into the group while driving on the wrong side of the road.
The German team is one of the top outfits in the World Tour peloton, but its early season preparations will have been thrown into disarray due to the incident, which left six of its riders injured, including Paris-Roubaix champion John Degenkolb and rising French starWarren Barguil.
The riders were all taken to hospital, with one, American Chad Haga, airlifted to a larger hospital in nearby Alicante where he had surgery to repair wounds to his neck and chin. Haga has also suffered an orbital fracture, according to a team injury bulletin issued this morning.
The statement revealed that Barguil sufferd a broken wrist, while German Max Walscheid broke bones in his hand and leg.
Degenkolb was taken to a specialist hospital in Valencia where doctors will battle to save his finger, which the German revealed was nearly severed completely.
“I’m all right, considering the circumstances,” Degenkolb, who also suffered injuries to his thigh, lip and forearm, wrote on Facebook.
“Now I’m in the ambulance heading to Valencia, where in a larger hospital my left index finger should be restored It’s just hung on to the last corner of my hand."
Team boss 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.”
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