Sea Keong Loh breaks sternum in Vuelta a Burgos crash

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Sea Keong Loh, Malaysian rider of Giant-Shimano, found a fan at the start (Image credit: El Pedal de Frodo/www.elpedaldefrodo.com)

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Sea Kong Loh (Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)

Giant-Shimano's Sea Keong Loh suffered a heavy fall on stage 1 of the Vuelta a Burgos, breaking his sternum. The 27-year-old was able to remount his bike and finish the 143km stage but will not start stage 2.

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Examinations with the team's medical experts confirmed the injury with no further underlying damage. Anko Boelens, one of the team’s medical experts said: "Loh has a broken sternum but fortunately tests show there's no further damage. He did very well to finish the stage but unfortunately he will not be able to start tomorrow's stage."

The team wishes Loh, who is the first South East Asian rider to compete in the WorldTour, a speedy recovery.