Taylor Tolleson (BMC) (Image credit: Mark Zalewski)
BMC rider Taylor Tolleson was hospitalized on Thursday after a car crashed into the back of him while he was riding a motorcycle on Highway 1 just outside his hometown of Santa Cruz, California.
An unidentified driver in a 1998 Audi hit Tolleson from behind, according to police reports. He was subsequently dragged for 300 feet along the road way. He was airlifted to the San Jose hospital where doctors determined that he suffered a concussion, a fracture to his L1 vertebra, extensive abrasions and several significant lacerations.
"As of Friday night, Tolleson was fully conscious, lucid, and moving well enough to indicate that his joints did not suffer significant damage," BMC directeur sportif, Chilcott said. "At this point it is believed that he will be able to make a complete recovery.
According to Gavin Chilcott, the driver was believed to have been intoxicated at the time and fled the scene of the accident. As of Friday, the driver of the car had not been apprehended.
"With the input of the team physicians, Taylor is currently determining the timeline for resuming his training. His girlfriend Meghan and his family are there with him."
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
