Driver rams into pro cyclists on training camp in Spain
Riders rushed to hospital
Photo by:
Eduardo Sepulveda @EduSepulvedaARG
The first day of training camp did not go well for the Italian UCI Professional Continental team, Drone Hopper Androni Giocattoli, with one of the riders described as having “literally bounced off” the car’s windscreen. The cyclists had just begun riding on the Costa del Sol when the collision happened on Friday morning near Benidorm, Spain.
Colombians Brandon Rojas, Juan Diego Alba and Spaniard Martì Vigo were the cyclists who were struck. The youngest of the riders hit was also the most serious. 19-year-old Rojas received a nasty cut to the throat and badly injured knee.
The riders were and received urgent medical examinations and attention. Rojas received three stitches in his neck and was discharged. The accident was caused by a car that got back on the road in the other direction of the group of riders, and hit them on slight downhill. When the driver hit the riders, Rojas collided and then bounced off the windshield of the car. The rider will observe a few days of rest before resuming training with the team.
There are twenty-one riders on the team managed by Gianni Savio. The team is a long-running pro team, having raced for the past 25 years. They’ve won the Italian championships three times in the last four years, and had 80 wins since 2018. The team offers a “youth project” which is to created riders to graduate to Cycling’s WorldTour.
