A dramatic situation took place at the European Championships. Stefan Küng was allowed to get back on the bike and finish the race despite a high-speed crash and racing with a broken helmet. This was almost made secondary by the fact that he rode the final kilometers with a shattered helmet and full of blood.
The scenes were shocking. The crash in itself was unusual, the Swiss rider, en route to a podium place, looked down on his handlebars for too long and failed to see the barriers that narrowed ahead of him, crashing at high velocity and dramatic fashion. What the TV broadcast did not show was that he returned to the bike right away - unknown if it was the same or a replacement, and later on finished his effort still with the 11th best time.
However the state he was in was far from good. The helmed clearly broken, he rode the final kilometers with a very large amount of blood all over his body. This sparked very heated reactions on social media on how he was allowed to resume racing in that state, possibly suffering from head injuries or a concussion, which was clearly not tested following the crash.
Sure enough that was now confirmed by Het Nieuwsblad. Two fractures in a hand, a fissure in a cheekbone and a concussion have been diagnosed. The Groupama-FDJ rider will end his season with immediate effect, not racing today's Mixed Relay time-trial where he had the chance to add to the title he acquired in Glasgow alongside his compatriots.
Après sa chute lors du chrono des championnats d'Europe, Stefan Küng souffre de deux fractures à la main, d'une fissure à la pommette et d'une commotion cérébrale. Le Suisse ne prendra pas le départ du relais mixte et devrait mettre un terme à sa saison selon le Het Nieuwsblad.
