German pro Max Walscheid 'lucky to survive' being hit by car

German professional Max Walscheid has said he was "lucky to survive" after he was hit by a car while training.

The Cofidis rider was airlifted to hospital after the incident, but has said that he does not have "severe injuries" or broken bones.

He was out on a recovery ride near his home in Franken, Germany, when a car suddenly swerved and drove into him. He last raced the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday, where he came fourth. 

In a press release from his team, he said: "The first thing on my mind is that I was incredibly lucky to survive this accident."

He explained that the accident "completely destroyed" his bike, and that it's "beyond belief" he wasn't more severely hurt.

"I was on a quiet road, in perfect conditions. Luckily, I wasn’t going very fast, and I was at the side of the road. A car came from the opposite direction. It turned suddenly to the right, without indicating, drove at me and crashed into me. I didn’t even have time to do anything about it," Walscheid said.

"I was hit head-on," he continued. "I went up above the car and I fell a few meters away - luckily on the verge and not on the tarmac. My bike was completely destroyed, 10 metres away. People quickly came to help me - the ambulance and police as well. I was then taken to hospital and admitted to the emergency unit where they carried out scans on my whole body."

He has been kept in hospital while they give him more checks, including to his head, lungs, and heart; he was surprised to not have broken any more bones.

"I still can’t believe that I was able to come off without more severe injuries," he said. "It’s beyond belief. At the same time, it’s very tough because I was going well in the races, with good results and the potential to do more. But right now I prefer, above all, to be pleased to still be alive."

Walscheid won the GP Denain last week after coming second in the Danilith Nokere Koerse the day before, as he proved that Cofidis were right to sign him from Qhubeka-NextHash in the winter.