Tom Pidcock pronounced himself "very lucky" to be alright after crashing into a ravine on stage five of the Volta a Catalunya on Friday, although it was revealed on Saturday that the Briton had suffered knee and wrist injuries.
The Pinarello Q36.5 rider was one of a number of riders who came down on the penultimate descent of what was a major mountains day, the Collada de Sobirana. The drop into the ravine was described in a team statement as "significant".
He did not start stage six as a result, after medical evaluation.
“Due to his crash, he suffered injuries, most likely bone and ligament damage, in particular to his right knee and also right wrist," Lorenz Emmert, Chief Medical Team Doctor, said in a team statement.
"Unfortunately, we had to make the decision to take him out of the race.
"Further clinical evaluation and imaging will follow in the next days, additionally to the already initiated healing process.”
“We did everything to try to make it to the start but it’s not possible,” Pidcock added
"I fought to finish the stage yesterday [Friday] to make sure I had the option to continue. Now the focus is on recovery, and I’ll be back.”
After a change of bikes on Friday, he was able to continue, but with a final major climb still to go, Pidcock ended up losing a lot of time, coming in 116th, 29:04 down on stage winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). He also fell from third overall to 74th, dashing any GC hopes for the seven-stage race.
“I was drinking on the descent and misjudged a corner," he said in a statement after the stage. "I overshot it and went down the ravine. It was like one of these horror crashes you see, but I’m very lucky that I am OK. I'll go for a check but I think I'm OK.
“I am lucky I could talk on the radio," he added. "I was far from the road and nobody knew I was there. I’m happy I could finish the stage.”
The Yorkshire rider has so far enjoyed a highly promising season, placing third overall at the Vuelta a Andalucía and a heartbreakingly close second to Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at Milan-San Remo. His Volta a Catalunya had been going swimmingly too, with third places on stages one and four, and a sixth place on stage three – all of them lumpy and testing.
Pidcock's next block of racing was set to start in mid-April, with Brabantse Pijl followed by Ardennes Week.
