Jenthe Biermans finished stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia despite falling into a ravine after crashing on a descent.
The Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider found himself in a "panic" situation after he fell into the ravine while descending the Mortirolo on Sunday, after a crash which saw him lose his radio too.
The Belgian, with the help of staff from other teams, was able to climb out of the chasm, and incredibly, still finished the stage. He finished 130th, 46:49 behind Tadej Pogačar, who won the day. 20 riders finished behind him.
"I misjudged a bend during the descent. The result was a very heavy fall. The heaviest fall of my career,” Biermans told Sporza at the finish.
"It was really panic. The first moment I couldn't move anymore.
"I continued to tumble after my fall and eventually came to a stop around a tree. I also lost my communication during the fall, so they [Arkéa-B&B Hotels] didn't find me right away."
While his Arkéa team were unaware of Biermans' situation, and the incident was not captured on television, the Belgian was helped by other teams.
"Four teams immediately came looking for me, I was at least 25-30 meters deep in a ravine," Biermans said.
"[Alpecin-Deceuninck sports director] Gianni Meersman and the men from Intermarché-Wanty, among others, came immediately. I would like to thank them."
"A few men helped me climb up. We took our time for a long time. I was lucky that I was not in the last group at the time," Biermans explained, and he comfortably made the time cut in the end.
"I climbed back on the bike and then rode on with the last gruppetto. I crossed the line thanks to a lot of support from other boys and character."
Having completed the stage, Biermans was thankful that the crash had not be much worse. However, it is still not assured that he will continue the Giro, when it resumes on Tuesday after the second rest day.
"Now we are going to do checks and hope that there are no fractures. My hip, lower back and foot really don't feel good," Biermans said.
