Severe swelling from insect sting prevents Caja Rural rider from lining-up at French stage race
A bug stung Italian rider Danilo Celano near his eye and he had to drop out of his team's line-up for an upcoming race as a result
A vicious insect sign left Italian rider Danilo Celano with a very swollen eye ahead of his scheduled start at the four-stage La Route d’Occitanie. The reaction to the insect bite was so severe that he was withdrawn from the team’s starting line-up and replaced by Spaniard Antonio Molina.
Danilo Celano no podrá estar finalmente con sus compañeros en La @RouteOccitanie por un pequeño problema con un insecto que le impide montar en bici ?. ¡Pronta recuperación! pic.twitter.com/7Ua9ybte9N
— Team Caja Rural-RGA (@CajaRural_RGA) June 13, 2018
It’s common for cyclists to get stung by insects. After all, riding in the open air in thin lycra during summer you are exposed to all sorts of airborne insects which are often hard to avoid. Additionally, helmet vents and glasses are perfect to ensure a bug gets caught when you run into one.
Unfortunately for Celano, his reaction to the insect bite was quite severe. “Danilo Celano will not be able to line-up with his teammates at La Route d’Occitanie because a small problem with an insect that prevents him from riding a bike. Speedy recovery,” Caja Rural wrote in a Twitter post along with a photo of the riders swollen eye.
While there are treatments for severe reactions to bug bites available, because Caja Rural is members of the anti-doping organization MPCC. In addition to be unable to ride a bike because of the severity of the swelling, if Celano was to take a cortisone treatment he would have to sit out competition for at least eight days.
