Domenico Pozzovio is “confident” he can return to racing after he was hit by car while training.
The Bahrain-Merida rider was involved in a head-on collision with a car on Sunday (August 11) near his home in Cosenza, Italy, suffering a broken leg, arm, collarbone and ribs.
Pozzovivo’s career has been threatened by the crash as the 36-year-old indicated he may not return to racing, but his team have now released an update and say he believes he can make a comeback.
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After undergoing a five-hour operation on Monday (August 12) to stabilise the lower leg break, Pozzovo will undergo further surgery to treat the complex fracture to his elbow.
A statement from his team said: “Bahrain-Merida medical staff is in constant contact with the medical staff that is taking care of Pozzovivo. They talked to the surgeon Dr Christian Candrian – orthopaedic specialist at Lugano Regionale Civico Hospital – and he’s confident in Domenico’s possibility to come back on the bike. Pozzovivo is confident as well that he will recover well and get back to racing.”
Pozzovivo was seriously injured when the car driver took a turn too wide and hit the climber head on.
He had been down to ride the Vuelta a España, but instead he was left questioning his career as Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported him as saying: “They put an end to my career.”
But the latest update from Bahrain-Merida offers some hope that he may return to the peloton.
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Pozzovivo will now undergo another operation on Friday at a hospital in Lugano, where he was airlifted after from a medical facility in Cosenza.
The team added: “All Team Bahrain Merida wish him a fast recovery and would like to express sincere thanks to the team medical staff that assisted Pozzovivo from the moment of the incident, remaining in constant touch with the Hospital and organising the private transport from Cosenza’s hospital to Lugano’s hospital.”
