De Weert seriously injured in Vuelta time trial crash

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Wednesday's time trial in the Vuelta a España ended disastrously for Kevin de Weert. The Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider was transported directly to hospital after a crash left him with multiple serious injuries.

The 31-year-old suffered a fractured left tibia, a ruptured patellar tendon in the left knee, and a fractured right collarbone. Most seriously, he “was also diagnosed with a cervical fracture, without displacement and without neurological consequences.” He never lost consciousness, the team said.

De Weert was on a downhill section when the wind caught his front wheel. Teammate Tony Martin, who finished second on the stage, said that “If I had won today, I would have dedicated the win to my teammate Kevin de Weert.”

Martin added, “When you hear something like that, everything else loses importance. I didn't think of the second place anymore. In such moments, you know once again what is really important in life.”