Merhawi Kudus began his 2025 season, his first in the colors of Burgos Burpellet BH, with a remarkable seventh place in the Classica Camp de Morvedre. Since then, the Eritrean has had a more complicated process. But the most difficult came at the Grand Prix La Marseillaise, when he suffered a hard crash that forced him to abandon the race.
The Spanish team issued a communication in which they updated the situation of their rider. Unfortunately, the 31-year-old is going to spend several weeks out of competition and may even have to undergo surgery.
"Merhawi Kudus, Burgos Burpellet BH cyclist, suffered a serious fall last Sunday, February 2, during the Grand Prix de La Marseillaise in France. The Eritrean rider went to the ground on one of the descents of the course and had to abandon the race, being taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Initial medical tests on the rider revealed several bone fractures and a possible pneumothorax.
The cyclist was then transferred to the intensive care unit of another hospital in Marseille, where new examinations were carried out on Monday morning, 3. These confirmed the existence of several fractures at the level of the costal arches, lumbar vertebrae and sacrum, as well as a pulmonary contusion with hemo-pneumothorax. Kudus remains in hospital in the French city, in constant contact with the team's medical services.
This week, the rider will be transferred in a medicalized ambulance to the Burgos hospital. For the time being, conservative treatment will be applied, hoping that the evolution will be positive and that he will be able to avoid surgery. The runner will be out of competition for a considerable period of time, so an estimated period of sick leave has not yet been established.
This statement has been issued several days after the accident at the express request of the rider, since in the first days he had not yet been able to contact his family in Eritrea. From Burgos Burpellet BH we wish him a speedy recovery and hope that he can return to racing as soon as possible.
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🏥 Pasado un tiempo prudencial, os comunicamos lo ocurrido con Merhawi Kudus en el pasado #GPLM2025
— Burgos Burpellet BH (@BurgosBH) February 10, 2025
🇪🇷 El eritreo sufrió una grave caída en un descenso y fue hospitalizado en una UCI de Marsella
Padece fracturas en arcos costales, vértebras y sacro, así como un hemoneumotórax pic.twitter.com/NvgWUMuUJs
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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