Niki Terpstra Out for Up to 12 Weeks After Training Crash
Expected to miss the Tour
Dutch cyclist Niki Terpstra suffered multiple injuries in a training crash in the Netherlands on Tuesday and was
helicoptered to hospital, his wife said.
Terpstra, of the French Total-Direct Energy team, is a winner of multiple classics.
He crashed while training near Lelystad in central Netherlands. His wife, Ramona Terpstra, confirmed Terpstra’s fall in a tweet.
“Unfortunately the bad news is true. Niki crashed hard during a bike workout.”
“He’s in the hospital and will have to stay here for a few more days. He is not in mortal danger but will need time to recover,” she said.
Terpstra was training with some friends behind a moped when they had to swerve to avoid hitting some geese, public broadcaster NOS reported.
“Terpstra hit a rock and then crashed hard,” NOS said.
He is reported to have suffered a collapsed lung, a concussion and to have broken ribs and a collarbone. The 36 year-old has won the cobbled classics Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
It’s not the first time he has suffered a bad fall. Last year he suffered a heavy concussion when crashing in the Tour of Flanders only to then fracture a shoulder blade after crashing in the Tour de France, forcing him to abandon the race.
RECOVERY TIME
Niki Terpstra will be out for up to 12 weeks “His heavy fall made him lose consciousness. He suffers from a head trauma, a broken collarbone and a back bruise,” said team doctor Hubert Long.
“He is still on intensive care, but he will be able to go home in two or three days. For this type of significant trauma, the period of unavailability is 10 to 12 weeks.”
Terpstra will miss the restart to the cycling season and the rescheduled Tour de France, set to take place between August 29 and September 20. The 36-year-old’s accident is not the first time he has had a bad fall.
RBA/AFP Photos: Bettini
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