John Degenkolb will need at least three months to recover from the injuries he sustained on Saturday when a motorist drove into a group of Giant Alpecin riders on a training ride, meaning he rider will be unable to defend his Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix titles.
The news was revealed by world-leading reconstructive surgeon Pedro Cavadas, who operated on the 27-year-old in Manises near Valencia on Sunday including reattaching the index finger the German cyclist nearly lost in the crash. He also sustained a fracture of his left radius.
Cavadas, who in his career has led the first double hand and double leg transplants, said that Degenkolb’s recovery “is progressing well” and that “theoretically he can return to competition in three months.”
However, he added that as an elite athlete, “his recovery time will be a little longer than for other patients,” reports Spanish sports website AS.
Degenkolb was one of six Giant-Alpecin cyclists hospitalised after the incident which happened when a car being driven on the wrong side of the road by a 73-year-old British woman crashed into the group.
> Six Giant-Alpecin riders in hospital after training crash
The motorist, who has not been named, has been charged by the Spanish authorities with reckless driving.
Besides Degenkolb, who will reportedly return home to Germany later this week to continue his recovery, the American rider Chad Haga who sustained injuries to his neck and chin as well as a broken eye socket also remains in hospital.
The other members of the team injured in the incident – Warren Barguil, Max Walscheid, Fredrik Ludvigsson and Ramon Sinkeldam – were treated in hospital on Saturday and discharged the following day.
Degenkolb’s victories in Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in spring last year made him the first rider to win both Monuments in the same season since Ireland’s Sean Kelly did so in 1986.
So many people in the UK have such a hangup about the naked human body....
Wow, a judge who actually understands!
The article is poorly worded in a couple of places, but the 242 figure appears to refer to applications from the Department for Transport's London...
YouGov poll of who Conservative party members want to be the next PM....
Exactly. People are so hung up on the name and lord knows what else. Ignoring the fact that even Tiagra from today is better than the very best...
I think last year he won on Ventoux from the breakaway group when the main GC riders were in the pack. His objective within the team this year is...
Riders with wheels on the edge of the cobbles (on the cobbles none the less) and spectator filming riders that had already passed whilst leaning...
Had a gardener round to tidy up and he got my old bike out from the undergrowth. It's over 30yrs old but I think it'll buff up ......🤔
Great to see electronic shifting will soon be availiable for the everyman's groupset - 105 - but i'll stick to the tried and true mechnical...
I'd give half an arm for some semi-humerous articles today. Well, maybe 1/4 of one.