Demi Vollering (Netherlands) has been ruled out of Sunday's European Championships road race as she continues to suffer concussion effects from her crash at the recent Tour of Scandinavia.
It was a week ago that the SD Worx rider hit the deck on the run-in to stage 4 of the stage race she'd started as overall favourite. She suffered a head impact on the tarmac and, despite remounting to finish the final few kilometres, she did not start the following stage.
Now it has emerged that the crash has had longer-term consequences, with Vollering still unable to race at the European Championships in Munich on Sunday.
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According to her SD Worx team, Vollering is "taking rest due to concussion symptoms after her crash in the Tour of Scandinavia".
Vollering is replaced in the Dutch squad by Thalita de Jong. The largely flat Munich course is expected to produce a bunch sprint and Netherlands would therefore possess the favourite in Lorena Wiebes, two-time stage winner at the recent Tour de France Femmes.
Along with Vollering, Dutch stars Marianne Vos and Annemiek van Vleuten have also opted to skip the European Championships, with the squad comprising: Ellen van Dijk, Riejanne Markus, Charlotte Kool, Floortje Mackaij, Jeanne Korevaar and Anouska Koster.
Vollering, meanwhile, will re-set and look to get back in time to target the World Championships road race in Woolongong on September 10. She could make her return at the Simac Ladies Tour starting on August 30 or the Vuelta Challenge starting on September 8.
Concussion has attracted increasing attention in pro cycling and sport more widely in recent years, with cycling among a number of sports to adopt concussion protocols.
The effects of head impact can be surmounted quickly in some cases but can also lead to long-term symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness. Most riders are urged to avoid looking at screens during recovery.
