Merhawi Kudus discharged after a month in hospital with GP de la Marseillaise crash injuries

SANTURTZI SPAIN APRIL 06 Merhawi Ghebremedhin Kudus of Eritrea and Team EF Education Easypost prior to the 62nd Itzulia Basque Country Stage 4 a 1757km stage from Santurtzi to Santurtzi UCIWT on April 06 2023 in Santurtzi Spain Photo by David RamosGetty Images
Merhawi Kudus racing for EF Education-EasyPost in 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Burgos-Burpellet-BH rider Merhawi Kudus has been discharged from hospital after nearly a month, owing to severe injuries sustained in a crash on the GP de la Marsellaise on February 2.

A team representative confirmed the news to Global Peloton, saying the Eritrean had left hospital in Spain last week, and is now staying near the team’s headquarters.

The crash in France at the start of February saw the 31-year-old go down at high speed on a descent and he suffered “several fractures at the level of the costal margins [lower ribs], lumbar vertebrae and sacrum, as well as a pulmonary contusion with hemo-pneumothorax”. 

“In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he is doing well,” the team told Global Peloton. “He didn't have to undergo surgery and his recovery is going well. At the moment we have not set any recovery period, as the injuries are serious.”

“We hope he will be able to ride this year, but we are not setting any deadlines for training or racing, so that he can recover without pressure.”

The rider himself also gave an update to Global Peloton saying he is “getting better every day” and going to start riding on a static trainer, but there is no timeline on when or how he may return to racing.

Kudus is a former winner of the Tour du Rwanda in 2019, has finished on the GC podium of races like the Tour of Türkiye and Tour of Langkawi, and is a three-time national champion of Eritrea.

He joined Burgos-Burpallet-BH after a year of racing in Asia for Terengganu Cycling, and was hoping to be part of Burgos’ aims at reaching the Vuelta a España, but that is now in doubt with his undetermined period away from racing.

Assistant Features Editor

Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported from many of the biggest events on the calendar, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France Femmes, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.


You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.