Bernhard Eisel injured in Tirreno-Adriatico team car collision: 'I'm happy to have got out alive'
"I touched a team car... It was absolutely not the driver’s fault, it was my fault" says Bernhard Eisel after heavy crash during Sunday's stage of Tirreno-Adriatico


Bernhard Eisel was forced to withdraw from Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday after a collision with a team car during the Italian stage race – which Eisel says was his fault.
The 37-year-old Austrian Dimension Data rider suffered an injury to his right wrist, and several injuries to his face.
Eisel says the incident happened when he came into contact with another team's car during the stage from Castelraimondo to Filottrano.
"It was a massive crash – it seems like my nose is broken – and I have quite a lot of pain in my right wrist. I’m actually happy that I got out of it like this, it doesn’t look great at the moment and my face has seen better days but to be honest I’m super happy to have got out alive.
"I’m not great at the moment; I’ve got a few stitches in my nose, lips and my face," Eisel said on Monday.
Good morning from Pedaso. A message from @EiselBernhard following his crash yesterday. A big thank you to all for your support. Get well soon, Bernie! #BicyclesChangeLives pic.twitter.com/JL3bj2VX1g
— Team Dimension Data (@TeamDiData) March 12, 2018
“I also want to clarify that I touched a team car, from another team. It was absolutely not the driver’s fault, it was my fault, so there’s no speculation (in that regard). I pretty much rode into him and went down from there. He couldn’t do anything but after the crash he supported me as much as he could."
>>> Tirreno-Adriatico 2018: Latest news, reports and race info
Eisel said that he has reflected on the incident, in particular as it happened on the stage that was dedicated to Michele Scarponi, who lost his life after a collision with a car during a training ride in 2017. The stage finished in Scarponi's hometown of Filottrano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnbUP-KqvkY
"Yesterday I reflected a lot on Michele Scarponi; my dad passed away two weeks ago and Michele passed away a year ago in a road accident and I think we have to be aware to say it’s not always the fault of car drivers," said Eisel.
"I made a big mistake yesterday and I nearly paid for it. To drivers please be careful as we share the roads, but that plea also goes to the riders to ensure that we respect each other."
Dimension Data team medic Dr Jarrad van Zuydam said that although it was initially suspected that Eisel had fractured his wrist, X-rays did not show a break.
"Bernie had a bad crash and I spent some time with him at the hospital," said van Zuydam. "The RCS (organisers) released a statement saying that he had fractured his wrist but that was premature as the X-rays don’t show any clear fracture. We need to get a CT scan done, which will happen this afternoon (Monday) and will ascertain as to whether he has any significant wrist injury.
"His facial injuries are okay and were sutured very carefully by a plastic surgeon, those will heal well. He’s quite lucky and he’ll be back on the bike as soon as possible."
Eisel's crash and abandon from Tirreno-Adriatico comes after team-mate Mark Cavendish also abandoned the race after crashing during the opening stage's team time trial. Cavendish suffered facial injuries and a fractured rib, but the team says that he is now back in training.
Dimension Data also lost another rider from the race on Sunday's stage five, as Mark Renshaw abandoned due to suffering from sinusitis.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
-
Every Shimano 105 Di2 bike released so far
There's not many out yet, but we've rounded up the few that are
By Stefan Abram • Published
-
New Shimano 105 Di2 goes electronic, 12-speed and doubles in price: so is it still 'the people's groupset'?
The new R7100 groupset adds a sprocket and electronic shifting to Shimano's third tier - we take a closer look at what's new and also what it means for the future of mechanical shifting
By Luke Friend • Published
-
Phil Bauhaus wins chaotic sprint at Tirreno-Adriatico as Tadej Pogačar secures overall victory
The Bahrain-Victorious sprinter pipped Israel-Premier Tech's Giacomo Nizzolo on the line for his first victory of the season.
By Pete Trifunovic • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar stamps authority on Tirreno-Adriatico with stage six victory
The Slovenian increases his overall lead with one stage remaining
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel scupper chances of winning Tirreno-Adriatico stage five after missing turn
Jonas Vingegaard was also a part of the trio of riders catching the breakaway group before completely missing a turn 6km from the line
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Filippo Ganna wins stage one as Remco Evenepoel takes seven seconds on Tadej Pogačar at Tirreno-Adriatico
The world time trial champion wins the race against the clock on home soil
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Tirreno-Adriatico 2022 route: Stages for the 57th edition of the 'Race of the Two Seas'
The hilly race between the two seas has released its 2022 route with varied terrain to be tackled
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Filippo Ganna says he's 'not a robot' after losing first time trial in over a year
Filippo Ganna says that he is "human, not a robot" after losing his first time trial in over a year on the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2021 in San Benedetto del Tronto.
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
‘Not a bad start to the experiment’ - Wout van Aert wants to race for overall wins again after Tirreno-Adriatico podium
Wout van Aert said Tirreno-Adriatico was “not a bad start” to his general classification experiment.
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Five things we learned from Tirreno-Adriatico 2021
The Race of the Two Seas provided a classic edition in 2021 - here's what we learned from the 56th Tirreno-Adriatico
By Stephen Puddicombe • Published