Flèche Wallonne champion and double Vuelta a España stage winner Dani Moreno is thanking his fortune after he escaped serious injury when being hit by a car yesterday.
The Katusha rider was training in Argentina and collided with a motor vehicle. His team stated afterwards that his time trial bike took the brunt of the force, but fortunately the rider himself was relatively okay.
“Immediately after the accident, Moreno went to the hospital for a full medical check up which did not reveal any fractures or major traumas,” it said. “At the same time, the rider’s bike was completely destroyed.”
Moreno tweeted a montage of photographs afterwards [see below], with the first showing him in a time trial tuck position on the bike. The second pictured him in a neck brace after the collision, the third showed a white van with signs of an impact to the front left hand side, and the fourth pictured his bike with the head tube and fork snapped off. The final shot showed him lying down on a stretcher or bed, but smiling for the camera.
He reassured his followers afterwards, saying that things were not too serious. “Thank you very much to all for your encouragement. I’m fine thanks and I did not break anything after the strong shock,” he wrote. “Now resting after a strong blow to the hip and I hope in two days maximum I can go out.”
His team stated that he had been advised by doctors to take a two day break without training, after which he will presumably be able to continue his buildup for the season.
Moreno’s three big wins in 2013 helped him to finish a fine twelfth overall in the WorldTour ranking. In addition to those two stages in the Vuelta, he also wore the red race leader’s jersey in the race and wore the green points jersey for several days.
He said in November that the quality of the performances helped him to believe he could aim higher. “The truth is that although I got fewer wins than other seasons, I think it was the best,” he stated. “The victory of la Flèche Wallonne was a great thing for me, and the two stages of the Vuelta a España were a dream. But I also remember last season with satisfaction, with seven wins, which is a lot and was difficult to achieve.
“I think I can still grow a little more. Every year I go up a step and this coming year should be a little more. I feel better every day on the big races, where I managed to finish better than before, and three week races.”
He has said that he will support team leader Joaquim Rodriguez in some of his big events in 2014, but also that he saw the Ardennes Classics and the Vuelta a España as prime objectives.
Fortunately neither target will be affected by his accident yesterday.