Tom Pidcock 'horror' crash: Yorkshireman withdraws from Volta a Catalunya after falling down ravine
Yorkshireman Tom Pidcock has withdrawn from the Volta a Catalunya cycling race following injuries sustained in a crash during the fifth stage.
Double Olympic gold medallist Pidcock went off the road after misjudging a corner, suffering what he described as a “horror” crash down a ravine.
Posting a photo of the course on Instagram, he said: “Today I lost a life for sure. Was drinking on the descent and completely misjudged my braking and went straight on here.
“Luckily I had my radio so they could find me as no one knew I’d crashed. I’m going to self-proclaim as a ninja crasher, 60kmph off a mountain road and I’m relatively OK.”
Although the Pinarello-Q36.5 rider was able to get back on his bike and complete the stage, after medical assessments with his team and also at hospital, it was determined Pidcock could not resume the race.
“Due to his crash he suffered injuries, most likely bone and ligament damage in particular to his right knee and also right wrist,” Pinarello-Q36.5’s chief medical team doctor Lorenz Emmert said.
“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.”
Pidcock, a two-time Olympic cross-country mountain bike champion, is now set to remain under close observation in the coming days as further evaluations take place.
“We did everything to try to make it to the start (of today’s stage six), but it’s not possible,” Pidcock said on the Pinarello-Q36.5 team website.
“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.”
Pidcock is know as one of the best road cyclists going downhill in the world, winning a Tour de France stage up Alpe d’Huez after a hairraising descent.