Stefan Küng (Switzerland) suffered a heavy crash during the elite men's time trial at the UEC European Road Championships on Wednesday, running into the barriers as the road narrowed and landing heavily in the closing kilometres of the 29.8-kilometre course in Emmen.
Küng appeared to be fighting the wind and had his head down as he headed into a section where the barriers were placed diagonally across the road to direct riders onto the other side of the median. He clipped the feet of the metal barriers and fell, nearly being hit by the television motorbike following him.
There appeared to be no team or medical car following riders, so Küng remounted and finished the race before being cleaned up and checked under the UCI's concussion protocol.
Küng's trade team Groupama-FDJ posted an update about the rider's condition on Thursday morning as he was unsurprisingly pulled from Switzerland's mixed relay TT roster with injuries sustained in the crash meaning the end of his 2023 season.
"Following his crash in the final part of the European Championships time trial, Stefan Küng suffered a minor concussion, a fractured molar bone and a fractured hand that did not require immediate surgery," said the French team. "He remains under observation in hospital but will be able to go home today."
This image may disturb sensitive readers
Stefan Küng bloodied after crashing at the UEC Road Championships time trial in Emmen on September 20, 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)
The 29-year-old was a vision of horror as he came out of the tunnel into the finishing straight with the front of his helmet in pieces, his face, chest and shoulders spattered with blood.
Reassurance was provided by the team that the Swiss rider wasn't in as bad a state as the finishing images portrayed, despite his season coming to an end.
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"Unfortunately, his season is over," continued Groupama-FDJ. "In view of the circumstances, Stefan would like to make it clear that his general condition is good."
Küng finishes his 2023 season with 65 race days, 2 ITT wins, a world title in the mixed relay TTT from Glasgow and solid top-six finishes at Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders and the World Championships road race.
Even with the crash, Küng finished in eleventh place behind winner Josh Tarling (Great Britain).
The UCI enacted a concussion protocol in 2021 after Frenchman Romain Bardet crashed during the previous year's Tour de France and, despite being barely able to stand, finished the stage and was later diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage, a condition that can be life-threatening.
Riders are supposed to be assessed before continuing to race if they've broken their helmet or have suffered a crash that could have caused a concussion.
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
