Spitz abandons in Mont-Sainte-Anne after two crashes

Sabine Spitz (Central Haibike Pro Team) had a day of bad luck on Saturday afternoon at the cross country World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada. After two crashes, the German rider withdrew from the race in too much pain to continue.

On the first lap, Olympic Champion Spitz crashed and hit her chest on a rock. The bruising made breathing difficult so that after three of five laps, Spitz abandoned even though at the time, she was still in the top 10.

Her abandon came after a second crash, during which she hit her thigh on a rock. She was in too much pain to continue and was helped off the course on the back of an ATV.

Fortunately for Spitz, further examination revealed no broken bones, but the severe bruising will mean two weeks off her bike and therefore, she will not be participating at the Windham World Cup in New York next weekend.

"It's extremely annoying. I felt very good," said a disappointed Spitz. "The weather and the course would have been perfect today for me. But I could finish it."