"Even though I know I may have put my life at risk, I don't regret it" - Mauricio Moreira opens up about collapse at Volta a Portugal

Mauricio Moreira spooked everyone watching on RTP the 4th stage of the Volta a Portugal last Sunday, which took place between Sabugal and Guarda. At a certain point on the climb up to Famalicão da Serra, the Sabgal / Anicolor rider struggled and was helped by his teammates, but after a short time we could see the athlete struggling to hold on to the medical support vehicle, eventually collapsing on the side of the road, in a chilling and frightening moment.

The Uruguayan cyclist was stabilized and taken to the hospital in Guarda and at the end of the stage the team's sports director, Ruben Pereira, calmed those who longed for news of the winner of the 2022 Volta a Portugal by saying "he's fine, he's stable. He'll be able to return home in a few hours".

Yesterday, through the social network Facebook, Mauricio Moreira addressed all the fans of the sport. "First of all, I would like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the people who have sent me strength in various ways. Little by little I'll try to respond to everyone! I want to tell you that I'm physically fine, as far as is possible at the moment. It's a difficult situation to manage, as it's not the end of the Volta a Portugal that I was expecting, neither me personally, nor any of the people and sponsors who are by my side. I can only apologize for what happened to each one of them, and especially to my teammates, who have given everything for me from day one."

"I want to clarify the situation and everything that happened, at least what I remember, because there are moments I can't remember, like falling or being taken to hospital. The situation was already bad from the day before. I'd already spent a very bad night, practically without sleep, with diarrhea and vomiting, and I still didn't know 100% why. But the first diagnosis revealed that it was due to dehydration from the previous day (Torre stage). Yesterday, when it was time to start, after talking to the doctors, I made the decision to leave and try to finish the stage, since the next day was the rest day and I could 'turn my body around' and recover."

Mauricio Moreira also talks about the decision he made to get on his bike on stage 4, aware of the risks he would be taking. "Some might say or think it's impossible, but for us (cyclists) it's not. It's just another stage that we can start and then finish. The thing is, it's not always like that and it depends on many racing factors, which I can't detail one by one, but such as mechanical breakdowns, tension, the route, the weather, etc. I gave everything I had until my body could and had nowhere else to go for more energy. And even though I know I may have put my life at risk, I don't regret it, because I did everything I could before losing the battle."

"Cycling doesn't end and God willing I still have a long way to go and I hope to bring joy to the people who feel it. Finally, I'd also like to thank the nurses and doctors at Guarda hospital and the Volta a Portugal medical team. I received exceptional treatment and a lot of affection, which I will never forget. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!" he concludes.