'It was like one of these horror crashes' – Tom Pidcock crashes into a ravine at Volta a Catalunya, but finishes the stage
The Brit pronounces himself 'very lucky' to be OK
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GC hopeful Tom Pidcock has pronounced himself "very lucky" to be alright after crashing into a ravine on stage five of the Volta a Catalunya.
He was one of a number of riders who came down on the penultimate descent of what was a major mountains day, the Collada de Sobirana. The drop into the ravine was described in a team statement as "significant".
After a change of bikes the Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling rider was able to continue, but with a final major climb still to go, Pidcock ended up losing a lot of time, coming in 116th, 29:04 down on stage winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). He also fell from third overall to 74th, dashing any GC hopes for the seven-stage race.
Article continues below“I was drinking on the descent and misjudged a corner," he said in a statement after the stage. "I overshot it and went down the ravine. It was like one of these horror crashes you see, but I’m very lucky that I am OK. I'll go for a check but I think I'm OK.
“I am lucky I could talk on the radio," he added. "I was far from the road and nobody knew I was there. I’m happy I could finish the stage.”
His team statement said "initial assessments are reassuring, with no immediate signs of serious injury". He is due to undergo a medical assessment this evening.
The Yorkshire rider has so far enjoyed a highly promising season, placing third overall at the Vuelta a Andalucia and a heartbreakingly close second to Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at Milan-San Remo. His Volta a Catalunya had been going swimmingly too, with third places on stages one and four, and a sixth place on stage three – all of them lumpy and testing.
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While he will no doubt be very disappointed to have crashed out of contention for the overall at Catalunya, his comments show that he is clearly grateful to have come away relatively unscathed. Assuming he manages to complete Catalunya, his next block of racing starts in mid-April, with Brabantse Pijl followed by Ardennes Week.
After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
He has worked at a variety of races, from the Classics to the Giro d'Italia – and this year will be his seventh Tour de France.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.
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