It took more than two weeks before Pedro Horrillo (Rabobank) was healthy enough to return home to Spain, but the simple fact that the 34-year-old has made it this far is nothing short of a miracle.
On the 8th stage of the Giro d'Italia Horrillo fell more than 150 feet down a ravine while navigating the descent - the only trace left from the incident was his bike that was recognized by a teammate.
A rescue team was able to locate the Spaniard on a ledge below, and he was taken to a hospital in Bergamo where they induced the rider into an artificial coma to stabilize his condition.
Earlier this week Horrillo was taken by an ambulance plane to the University Clinic of Navarra, where he underwent a successful three-hour surgery on Wednesday.