“Annemiek was leading but I realised I was now first in the team so I had to chase”.
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Media outlets, including NBC, report van Vleuten laid motionless while other riders passed her by, but at least one medic immediately came to her aid.
Van der Breggen was soon embraced by Dutch teammate Marianne Vos, who won gold at the 2012 London Games, and turned her thoughts to Annemiek van Vleuten, whose scary crash – flipping over her handlebars, headfirst into the curb – gave her a chance.
After a series of spills in the men’s Olympic road race left cyclists with broken bones and bloody road rash, it seemed as if the women’s race Sunday was going to escape serious injury.
Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten entered intensive care after suffering three cracked vertebrae in a stomach-churning high-speed crash during the Olympic road race yesterday.
Annemiek van Vleuten is in intensive care after a horrific crash near the end of the Rio Olympics’ women’s road cycling race on Sunday.
Paying tribute to his coach, Melanie Marshall, he added: “Coming out tonight she didn’t have to get me pumped up, I knew this arena would be absolutely ideal for me”. The KNWU later reported that van Vleuten had suffered a “severe concussion and three small fractures in her lumbar spine”, and USA TODAY reports that van Vleuten was unconscious on the ground for a “considerable period of time” after the accident.
“It was horrendous crash”, road race silver medalist Emma Johansson of Sweden said. “I just hope she’s OK”.
Giro d’ Italia victor Vincenzo Nibali and Colombian climber Sergio Henao were leading on the same final descent when they crashed.
Nibali’s coach, Davide Cassani, said that the Italian broke his collarbone in the fall.
Holland’s Anna van der Breggen won the gold medal with a smooth move after passing Abbott with the finish line in sight.
Australian Richie Porte crashed out of contention and he has a shoulder fracture, meaning he will not start Wednesday’s road time trial.
The UCI said in a statement: “The Rio 2016 road race course was carefully designed and was extensively tested at the test event and in training. When you see something like that, it really does not matter anymore”.
The Vista Chinesa descent also played havoc on Saturday with the men’s road race. Of course, if you’re riding in front, maybe you take too much risk.
Majka had to settle for bronze, though, after he was caught by eventual champion Greg Van Avermaet and Jakob Fuglsang with 1.5km left.
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But the course described by Irish rider Dan Martin on Saturday as “brutal” had taken its toll in dramatic circumstances once again. “I was pretty shocked”. Most of all super disappointed after best race of my career.
