Disaster struck for Andrey Amador (Movistar) in the closing stages of the first stage of the Vuelta a Asturias: the Costa Rican crashed with two of his teammates as he took a corner and broke his left collarbone. The crash and injury not only puts the 24-year-old out of the Spanish stage race, but it also means he will not be able to ride next month’s Giro d’Italia, where he was to be a part of the Spanish team in support of last year’s runner-up David Arroyo and 2008 third-place Marzio Bruseghin.
"We were pulling at the front and the left-hander caught us by surprise," explained Amador at the Movistar team hotel afterwards. “I think there was some oil, because three of us slipped [his teammates Francisco Iriarte and Carlos Oyarzun also went down but weren’t injured] and I could not control my bike.
“I landed on my shoulder and I quickly realised that straightening my arm was painful,” he continued. “I’ve broken my collarbone twice before and I know the feeling. Two minutes later, and long before the X-ray was done in the hospital, I had already assumed it was broken."
This year’s Giro would have been Amador’s second appearance at the Italian race, having ridden last year’s edition in support of Arroyo and finishing 41st overall; a creditable placing for a 23-year-old in his debut Grand Tour.
"It really hurts to miss the Giro d'Italia,” he said. “I was having the best feelings since I’ve been a professional and I could have fought for a stage win there. I was meeting today phenomenal. We had the idea of selecting a breakaway on a climb and taking my chances in a small group sprint, but such is cycling.”
The good news for Amador is that his fracture is clean and he has full movement, which means that he will not require an operation and his recovery should be relatively quick.
“Things always happen for a reason and I’m looking to the positives,” he said. “I’ll hold on to the feelings I had and hope that by doing things right, caring for myself and working out the details, I can be at the front.
“Other races will come," he concluded.