Cycling: The fifth stage of the Tour de San Luis was overshadowed by a bad mass crash. Adriano Malori (Movistar) fell at high speed, triggering a mass crash that saw dozens of riders fall. The person who caused the accident was hit the hardest – he is currently in an artificial coma.
Shock moment at the Tour de San Luis - on a straight stretch, the Italian Adriano Malori suddenly rolls over at the front of the field and triggers a nasty chain reaction in which more than 20 riders fall. According to other drivers, Malori caught his front wheel in a crack in the road, rolled over and hit his head full on the asphalt. The 27-year-old, who had been unconscious for some time, was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where, in addition to a broken collarbone, several fractures in the skull and face were diagnosed.
Malori has now been placed in an induced coma - purely as a precautionary measure, as the doctors emphasize: "No injuries [to the brain] have been identified at this time, but a hit to the head is always a hit to the head," commented team doctor Jesus Hoyos on the state of health of the Movistar driver. First, Malori will remain in an induced coma for 48 hours. "We can only wait for now," says the likewise powerless Hoyos.
In addition to Malori, the race is also over for the two Colombians Fernando Gaviria and Rodrigo Contreras (both Etixx – Quick-Step). While Gaviria broke his left arm, Contreras suffered a nasty wound in his knee that required 15 stitches. The day's victory of Argentinian Germán Tivani faded into the background in view of the fall.
We wish everyone who was injured, especially Adriano Malori, a speedy recovery.