André Greipel will be sidelined for the next three months after suffering shoulder injuries in a training crash in Germany today, his Israel Start-Up Nation team announced on Tuesday.
The German was training with Rick Zabel near Köln when the crash occurred. He suffered shoulder injuries in the crash and will be sidelined about three months.
"A car came in our direction so we went single file on a small road. There was water and mud on the road and somehow I came off the road and lost my balance," Greipel said. "My front wheel slipped, and I slid towards a rock with my head and shoulder first..."
After popping his dislocated shoulder back into the joint, Greipel managed to ride home hoping it would be a minor injury. However, upon examinations in the hospital, team doctor Ortwin Schafer said Greipel had suffered a fracture in addition to the dislocation.
His three-month layoff will mean he must miss the entire Classics campaign.
"It's definitely a big setback for Greipel and the team," team manager Kjell Carlstrom said. "He started the season so well in the Tour Down Under and showed what kind of a leader he is for the team. We already lost two riders for months to severe injuries - Rory Sutherland and Ben Hermans. So it's definitely bad news and something we will need to overcome but it will not be easy."
