FDJ rider escapes with minor injuries after being hit by car on training ride

FDJ rider Davide Cimolai has escaped with minor injuries after being hit by a car while training in Italy.

In a post on Twitter, Cimolai said that he had been out riding on Sunday near his home town of Pordenone in north eastern Italy when the incident had taken place.

"I had just left home. A car was indicating left to park so I went to pass it on the right, but then it suddenly turned in the opposite direction from where it was indicating," Cimolai said.

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"The car hit me and I found myself on the ground. I've got cuts and bruises all over my body, but luckily no fractures. I had to go to hospital but it could have been worse."

Cimolai is expected to be in FDJ's team for the Critérium du Dauphiné, which starts on June 4, where he will be a vital lead-out man for Arnaud Démare in the race's early sprint stages.

Cimolai's crash is the latest in a number of high profile incidents involving cyclists and cars in Italy, with former Giro d'Italia winner Michele Scarponi and former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden having both lost their lives in the last six weeks.