(Reuters) - Teenage cyclist Edo Maas of Sunweb's development team may never walk again after he fractured his back in a collision with a car at the Piccolo Lombardia race earlier this month, the German cycling team has said.
Maas, 19, was moved to a hospital in Milan with injuries to his face, neck and back after the collision on the Madonna del Ghisallo hill. He underwent a series of intensive surgeries and has since regained consciousness.
"The fracture in his back has led to paraplegia, a loss of nerve feeling in his legs," Sunweb said in a statement.
"At this moment it remains unlikely that functionality in his legs will ever return, but fighting power and hope prevails."
Sunweb also called upon cycling's governing body UCI to take action and prioritise rider safety.
Maas' collision follows the death of 22-year-old Belgian cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht, who crashed during the third stage of the Tour of Poland in August.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
