Team Axeon Hagens Berman has released a statement saying that 21-year-old pro cyclist Chad Young is not expected to recover from head injuries he sustained during last weekend’s Tour of the Gila road race in New Mexico.
The US rider was descending last Sunday when he was involved in a multi-rider crash, and suffered facial and head injuries.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Tucson, Arizona.
Over the last week, his health has deteriorated and the team released the following statement:
There have been conflicting news reports concerning the condition of Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team rider Chad Young, who crashed Sunday in the Tour of the Gila. Unfortunately, Chad is not expected to recover from his injuries … At this time, his family asks for privacy. We at Axeon Hagens Berman respect the family’s wishes and want them to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers during this devastating and difficult time.
“We’ve had bad accidents in the past but never nothing like this before,” Rebecca Reza, a spokesperson for Tour of the Gila, told the Sun-News. “Chad got the best medical care within the circumstances. His injuries were pretty severe. They life-flighted him out so fast. It was incredible how fast everything happened.
After an unpromising start, having to be bribed by her parents to learn to ride without stabilisers, Sarah became rather keener on cycling in her university years, and was eventually persuaded to upgrade to proper road cycling by the prospect of a shiny red Italian bike, which she promptly destroyed by trapping a pair of knickers in the rear derailleur. Sarah writes about about cycling every weekend on road.cc.