By Kirsten Robbins
Australia's Matt Wilson has dedicated his Cascade Cycling Classic stage victory to injured team-mate Ben Brooks. The Team Type 1 rider fell during Wednesday's opening stage and was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after striking a cattle guard and losing consciousness.
Wilson said the 29 year-old had been placed in a medically-induced coma, and that doctors have received positive signs in the 24 hours since the accident.
"I'd like to dedicate this day to my team-mate Ben Brooks who crashed in yesterday's stage," said Wilson. "He's in an induced coma but they've been bringing him out of it to check to see if he's alright - it's looking very positive."
Brooks was treated on the scene by a rescue squad before being rushed to hospital. Team Type 1's director Ed Beamon said riders who witnessed the crash had told him the cattle guard put Brooks into a spin then catapulted him from the bicycle.
"He is breathing on his own now but is pretty heavily sedated," Beamon said.
Wilson leads the elite men's section of the National Racing Calendar series event following his Stage 2 victory.
