Her Olympic dream has been shattered, but most importantly, Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) has regained consciousness after a horrific crash in the Olympic women’s road race.
Annemiek was transported to the hospital after a devastating crash on the descent of the Vista Chinesa in the final 12km of the Olympic Games women’s road race on Sunday, according to the Dutch cycling federation.
According to reports, she suffered “severe concussion and three fractures to her spine”. Although she must spend the night in intensive care, her coaches and staff are with her.
The 33-year-old was in the lead of the road race, heading for a potential gold medal with a 30 second lead on Mara Abbott (USA) on the technical, damp descent.
Like Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao in the men’s race one day prior, van Vleuten crashed on the descent, but rather than slide out, she cartwheeled into the curb in a dramatic fashion.
Her teammate Anna van der Breggen went on to claim gold over Sweden’s Emma Johansson and Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy).
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