Bevin's BMC debut on hold after training crash

Patrick Bevin will miss the New Zealand national road championships after sustaining injuries in a crash on December 30. The BMC Racing rider sustained a deep cut to his right elbow and road rash. He is expected to make a quick recover before making his BMC debut at the Tour Down Under later this month.

The 25-year-old went over the handlebars after hitting a patch of melted tarmac, and although he was traveling at speed he escaped without serious injury.

"I hit a melted piece of tar on the road which sent me flying over my handlebars without any warning and I landed on my right elbow," he said in a statement issued by BMC Racing.

"I'm not feeling too bad but I'm a bit gutted about it because you never want to crash in training. I was going fairly quickly so I'm a bit banged up but I'm pretty lucky considering it was a big, wide, and fast piece of road."

Bevin signed for BMC from Cannondale-Drapac during the second half of the 2017 season and won the New Zealand national time trial championships in 2016. With this year's nationals ruled out due to his crash, the Kiwi will focus on preparing for the Tour Down Under, which starts on January 16. BMC head into the race with a strong team that includes former winner Richie Porte, Rohan Dennis and new signing Simon Gerrans.

"Patrick crashed on a descent in training and was taken to hospital for examination which revealed a deep contusion on his right elbow and some road rash. Luckily, he did not suffer a concussion and the injuries were quite isolated. Although a skin graft was initially considered, the elbow only required stitches," said BMC Racing Team's Chief Medical Officer, Max Testa said.

"Patrick will need to stay off the bike for five to seven days before resuming his normal training load. Unfortunately, this rules him out of the New Zealand National Time Trial and Road Race Championships but at this stage, he should be fine to race at the Santos Tour Down Under the week after. We will continue to monitor his recovery in the next week but we expect Patrick to recover quickly."