TotalEnergies rider Pierre Latour could be facing an early end to his career after being hit and injured by a driver while out training.
The Frenchman was out on a training ride in Peyrins in the Drôme department in southern France on Tuesday when he was hit by the driver of a delivery truck.
Local newspaper Le Dauphiné Libére reports that 31-year-old Latour was hit on the arm by a wing mirror of the truck while going around a bend in the road. He was treated by firefighters at the scene before being taken to hospital in Romans-sur-Isère.
The driver of the truck tested negative for alcohol and drugs, while Latour has avoided serious injury, such as a broken arm in the incident, his father explained.
"It was probably one of the very last training sessions I would do with Pierre," Claude Latour told Le Dauphiné Libére.
"I was following him on a scooter as usual, and his arm caught the [wing] mirror of a delivery truck that didn't see him coming on this road with its small bends.
"Pierre was taken to the hospital emergency room. We thought his arm was broken. In the end, this wasn't the case, but he was badly hurt."
Latour, who turned pro with AG2R La Mondiale in 2015 and spent six years at the team before moving to TotalEnergies, was set to retire at the end of this season.
The upcoming Chrono des Nations (October 19) was due to be his final race in the peloton, but he may now have already run his final race at last month's Coppa Sabatini.
"He was supposed to end his professional career after the Chrono des Nations in Les Herbiers," Latour's father said. "I have a feeling that's already happened."
He added to France Bleu that, "I'd be surprised if he could ride a time trial bike, where you have to be flat on your stomach on the bike these days."
