British racer Scott Auld has suffered some shocking injuries after he was thrown into a ravine by a van while training in Spain.
The Ribble Pro Cycling rider was riding with team-mates when the van driver came around the corner partly on the wrong side of the road, according to Auld.
A team-mate was clipped by the van, and the chain reaction sent Auld careening towards signpost at the side of the road.
The 22-year-old told The Northern Echo newspaper: “The last thing I remember was flying towards this sign post and thinking ‘this is really going to hurt.’
“[My team-mate] looked over the ravine and saw me laid face down in a pool of blood.”
The crash happened in early February while Auld has his Ribble team were training in Benidorm.
After regaining consciousness, he was taken to a nearby hospital.
Pictures Auld has uploaded reveal he suffered nasty injuries to his face and his arm is in a cast.
But the youngster had shown he a made from tough stuff, already returning to training on the turbo.
He hopes to back racing by March 10, but currently can't see very well because of the injuries to his face.
Auld added: “People sometimes see us just as cyclists, but we are more than that.
“God forbid, if it had been worse my family would have been without me.
“Drivers sometimes don’t see that.”
>>> Pro cyclists launch road safety petition in memory of Giro d’Italia winner Michele Scarponi
Auld joined British continental team Ribble in 2018, switching from French elite national team VC Touchy.
Team owner Jack Rees said at the time: “Scott is going to be an invaluable addition.
“Over the past three years, Scott has raced at a very high level across Europe, he is versatile and has an uncanny ability to read a race.
“I’m confident that in a really positive environment with the full support of both the team and our partners he will have his best season to date.”
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