Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Max Richeze hit by car during training ride
The Argentinian suffers a major setback on the eve of the new season

Maximiliano Richeze wins stage seven of the 2017 Vuelta de San Juan (Picture: Watson)
Deceuninck – Quick-Step rider Max Richeze has suffered an early set-back after he was hit by a car while training.
The Argentinian lead-out man suffered a heavy blow to his knee in the collision, but the effect on his season is not clear.
Richeze, a dependable support rider in the sprints who has built up a respectable palmarés of his own, was due to start his season at his home race the Vuelta a San Juan later this month.
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The 35-year-old told Ciclismo Internacional: “I was training on the side of the road, very close to the shoulder, and I do not know why it occurred to me to look back.
“But I saw a car was coming on the shoulder and was going to hit me
“If I did not see the car it could have been much worse.”
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Richeze suffered an injury to the knee, but will undergo an MRI to assess the impact.
He did not rule out a fracture or ligament damage.
Richeze joined Quick-Step from Lampre – Merida in 2016.
He has picked up 15 pro wins, including two stages of the Giro d’Italia.
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Most recently he surprised the sprinters at the 2018 Tour of Turkey to take the opening stage.
His 2018 season saw him ride the Vuelta a San Juan and Colombia Oro y Paz in the early season, followed by Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse.
He also rode the Tour de France in support of Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria, winner of two stages.
Gaviria has now moved to UAE Team Emirates after Quick-Step had to make cut-backs for the 2019 season.
Richeze, who turned pro in 2006, was due to open his 2019 campaign in Argentina later this month, riding alongside team-mates Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe and sprinter Álvaro Hodeg.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.