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Wilco Kelderman suffered a concussion and a vertebral fracture (archive image)
Photo: Marco Alpozzi / dpa
Vertebral fractures and head injuries: Two riders from the German professional cycling team Bora-hansgrohe were hit hard in a training accident in Italy on Saturday.
Andreas Schillinger and the Dutchman Wilco Kelderman, who was signed as captain for the Tour de France, suffered fractures and concussions in a collision with a car.
Rüdiger Selig got away without broken bones, but also has to pause because of a concussion.
For the entire group that had trained together on Lake Garda in Italy, it was a "dramatic event", Ralph Scherzer from Team Bora told SID, "but it could have turned out worse."
There is still no information about how long the trio will be out.
So far, Bora has assumed conservative treatments for injuries to Schillinger (cervical and thoracic spine) and Kelderman (vertebrae), but operations are not excluded.
Both drivers were already on their way home on Sunday.
Kelderman, third in the Giro d'Italia last year, is said to be the Bora rider for the overall standings on the Tour, while Emanuel Buchmann drives the Giro and skips the Tour of France.
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