Spanish Movistar rider crashed at Clasica San Sebastian and fractured vertebra
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Mikel Landa Meana (Movistar) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education First - Drapac) on the move suring stage 5 at Tour de suisse (Image credit: Getty Images)
Daniele Bennati helps Mikel Landa get away with Romain Bardet and Ilnur Zakarin(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mikel Landa (Movistar)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wout Poels and Mikel Landa before the start of stage 4 at Ruta del Sol(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Mikel Landa (Movistar)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The injuries sustained by Mikel Landa (Movistar) in his crash at last Saturday's Clasica San Sebastian are slightly worse then previously thought, but the Spaniard's team is nevertheless hoping that he will recover quickly.
However, in addition to the fractured vertebra, further tests have revealed that Landa has also fractured a rib, although it's not expected to prolong his recovery time.
After undergoing an ultrasound on Wednesday, Landa was found to have "a non-displaced rib fracture on his right-hand side", according to a team press release.
"Under careful monitoring from the Telefónica-backed squad's medical staff and attention from Javier Barrio, head doctor of the Deportivo Alavés football club, and traumatologist Mikel Sánchez, Landa is following various exercises of breathing mechanics and strengthening of the injured areas, in order to reduce inflammation, ease pain and ultimately fuse the fractures," the team said.
"Mikel remains in good spirits and optimistic towards his goal of recovering completely and as quickly as possible," it added.
Landa finished seventh overall at the recent Tour de France, and it was originally hoped that he might be able to recover from the crash at San Sebastian to still race at the Vuelta a España, which starts in Malaga on August 25. Although the discovery of the broken rib isn't expected to prolong his recovery time, Landa's long period off the bike must surely count against him being ready, and indeed fit enough, to race.
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