Kirchen had been in an induced coma since collapsing on Friday evening in at the Tour de Suisse. His heart is said to have stopped, and he was revived by team doctor Andrei Mikhailov.
According to the statement issued by the Katusha team, Kirchen immediately recognised his wife and his father, and he asked what had happened because he couldn’t remember anything of the moment he collapsed.
The Russian team revealed that Kirchen is not suffering any major heart or lung damage. However he will continue to undergo tests to ascertain the cause of his problems.
He is being treated in a hospital in Zurich and it is not yet know when he will be able to return home to Luxembourg.
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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
