Former professional and seven-time mountains at the Tour de France, Richard Virenque, is in hospital following a heavy fall sustained while racing his bike at a five-day amateur event in the French Alps.
"The fork of the bicycle suddenly snapped, and as a result, Richard fell on his face," recalled Virenque's wife Stéphanie, whose husband suffered a broken nose and numerous facial wounds, one of which required 32 stitches and will require cosmetic surgery next week. According to an AFP report, 36 year-old Virenque remains conscious in a Grenoble hospital, attached to a morphine drip.
