Taylor Phinney (BMC) puts on his new National Championship jersey(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/CN)
Taylor Phinney (BMC) on the way to his win.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Taylor Phinney (BMC) is one of this weeks favorites after his strong start to the season(Image credit: Jonathan Devich)
BMC Racing Team's Taylor Phinney suffered a broken lower leg in a crash at the USA Cycling Professional Road Race championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee today. BMC tweeted upon the conclusion of the race that Phinney was "undergoing surgery for lower left leg fracture and injury to his knee after crash at #uspro."
Phinney crashed on the first descent of Lookout Mountain, 45km into the 166.7km race.
BMC's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Max Testa said Phinney was undergoing surgery Monday night at a Chattanooga hospital for injuries that included a tib-fib fracture of his left lower leg, and an injury to the same knee.
The crash came just two days after Phinney won the country's time trial championship, beating defending champion Tom Zirbel. Phinney was to debut the stars-and-stripes jersey at the Critérium du Dauphiné next month.
Phinney, 23, was focusing his season around being selected for the Tour de France, where he hoped to support the team's leader Tejay van Garderen in a bid for the overall classification, while at the same time eying the 50km time trial on the penultimate stage of the race.
Teammate Peter Stetina, the only other BMC rider in the race and he also did not finish, withdrawing due to cramping from dehydration after leading the chase of an early breakaway.
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