Vacansoleil-DCM has confirmed that its rider Johnny Hoogerland has fractured some ribs after being hit by a car while training in Spain for the Tour Méditerranée, which starts in Limoux in the Aude department of France on Wednesday.

In a statement released this evening, the Dutch WorldTour team said:

This afternoon Johnny Hoogerland crashed hard while training. The rider of Vacansoleil-DCM was going slightly downhill when a turning car didn't see the rider and hit the unfortunate Hoogerland.

The 29 year old was taken to the intensive care of the hospital of Villajoyosa where they diagnosed some rib fractures and injuries that ask for extra examination on Monday.

More information on the condition of the rider will follow on Monday.

Hoogerland achieved widespread fame beyond cycling during the 2011 Tour de France when a France Televisions car hit fellow break member Juan Antonio Flecha of Team Sky, with Hoogerland, unable to avoid hitting the Spaniard, being catapulted into a barbed wire fence. He battled on to finish the stage.