US gravel pro breaks pelvis after 'getting smoked by car door'

US gravel pro Keegan Swenson has withdrawn from the upcoming Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race after “getting smoked by a car door” and breaking his pelvis.

The incident happened earlier this month, ahead of the 2023 Unbound Gravel 200 winner’s season debut at Santa Vall in Spain.

Swenson went on to ride and finish the two-day gravel event, before undergoing an MRI to assess his injuries. He confirmed in an Instagram post on Monday that he has broken the top part of his pelvic bone, and is now focused on recovery.

“Well this isn’t the Cape Epic announcement post I hoped to make today,” Swenson wrote. “Partway through a training ride the other day with Matt Beers in Cape Town I received some MRI results back and it turns out my Illiac Crest is indeed fractured (along with some other complications).

“I was optimistic things were okay after that collision with the car door but after racing Santa Vall with quite a bit of pain (and still struggling to walk), I had a feeling something might actually be wrong so we decided to get it checked out.”

The 32-year-old added that he was “gutted” to miss the eight-day mountain bike race in South Africa. Had he competed, he would have worn the rainbow jersey as the cross-country marathon mountain bike world champion, a title he won last September.

Swenson is considered ot be one of the best gravel pros in the world. Last year, he finished fourth in the overall standings of the Life Time Grand Prix, the most prestigious gravel racing series in America. He has previously won marquee events such as the Sea Otter Classic, SBT GRVL, Leadville 100, and Unbound, gravel’s most famous race.

It is uncertain how long the American will now be sidelined from racing. In the same Instagram post, he said he has returned home to Tucson, Arizona, where he will have more scans “to figure out what’s next”.

“Watch out for those doors,” he wrote. “They are quite sturdy.”

The organisers of the Cape Epic, which takes place 15-22 March, were among many who responded to Swenson’s post wishing him well in his recovery. The mountain bike world champion was due to compete in the race in a pair with South African pro Matt Beers, who wrote: “Heal up bro”.