Olympic champion Tom Pidcock pulls out of Volta a Catalunya after fall into ravine

BERGA, Spain (AP) — British rider Tom Pidcock has pulled out of the Volta a Catalunya race a day after crashing and falling down a ravine after misjudging a corner.

“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, the chief medical doctor of the Pinarello-Q36.5 team, said Saturday. “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.”

Pidcock, a two-time Olympic champion in cross-country mountain bike racing, crashed toward the end of Friday’s stage when he had what the team described as “a significant fall down a ravine.” He was able to resume and finish the stage “despite the severity of the crash,” and the team said the initial assessments of his injuries were reassuring.

Pidcock said he misjudged the corner while taking a drink on the descent.

“It was like one of these horror crashes you see, but I am OK. I’ll go for a check, but I think I’m OK,” he said afterward.

He wanted to start Saturday’s penultimate stage from Berga to Queralt but ultimately assessments with the team’s medical staff and at the hospital decided otherwise.

“We did everything to try to make it to the start but it’s not possible,” Pidcock said. “I fought to finish the stage yesterday to make sure I had the option to continue. Now the focus is on recovery, and I’ll be back.”

Jonas Vingegaard was leading the general classification standings after five stages in the 105th edition of the seven-stage race.

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