UCI considers action against Il Lombardia organisers after driver crashes into Max Schachmann

The UCI is considering taking disciplinary action against Il Lombardia organisers RCS Sport after German national champion Maximilian Schachmann of Bora-Hansgrohe broke his collarbone when a motorist who had somehow accessed the closing kilometres of the course near the finish in Como turned across his path.

The incident happened on the descent of San Fermo della Battaglia, with the woman driving the car heard on camera afterwards saying, “Non lo sapevo” – “I didn’t know” about the race, which in this rearranged season fell on 15 August, the Italian Ferragosto bank holiday.

Una señora en un Volvo ha tirado a Maximiliano Schachmann. Esto es acojonante. ¿En qué pensaba la señora? pic.twitter.com/ukt5Xt6Hrw

— Diego Vos ~ Ciclismo (@diegovos_) August 15, 2020

Despite his broken collarbone, Schachmann remounted his bike and, visibly angry as he headed to the line in Como, finished seventh in the race which was won by Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang.

In a statement released this morning, world cycling’s governing body said:

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is investigating the circumstances of the crash caused by a private car in the final kilometres of the UCI WorldTour race Il Lombardia (Italy) on Saturday.

Bora-Hansgrohe rider Maximilian Schachmann was brought down by the car that pulled onto the road in front of him towards the end of the 231km race.

Events on the UCI WorldTour calendar are of the highest level and require fully closed roads at all times. The UCI will consider lodging a complaint with the Disciplinary Commission against the event organiser RCS Sport.

The UCI wishes a prompt recovery to Maximilian Schachmann as well as to Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) who was injured in an unrelated incident earlier in the race.

Evenepoel, the pre-race favourite, was thrown over the parapet of a bridge on the descent of the Muro di Sormano as he appeared to misjudge the exit to a left-hand bend.

> Victory for Fuglsang – but Il Lombardia marred by a horror crash for Evenepoel plus a motorist left-hooking another rider

He fell approximately six metres, but was conscious and speaking to medical staff as he was taken back up to the road on a stretcher.

Today, the 20-year-old’s Deceuninck -Quick Step team confirmed that he had fractured his pelvis, in a statement which read:

One of the favourites at the start of the season’s second Monument, Remco Evenepoel crashed inside the last 50 kilometers, on the descent of Muro di Sormano, hitting a bridge wall and going over it into a ravine. Placed into a precautionary neck brace and taken to the Como hospital by ambulance, Remco was conscious at all times as he underwent a series of examinations to reveal the extent of his injury.

Unfortunately, the X-rays showed a fractured pelvis and a right lung contusion, which will keep Evenepoel – a winner of four stage races this season – on the sidelines for the upcoming period. Our rider will remain in the hospital overnight under observation, before flying on Sunday to Belgium.