Strade Bianche takes out Austrian national champion
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Riccardo Zoidl's Austrian national jersey isn't that easy to spot(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Riccardo Zoidl (Trek)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Riccardo Zoidl (Trek Factory Racing) finished second in the Tour Méditerranéen time trial stage(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Race winner Riccardo Zoidl is the first Austrian winner in five years(Image credit: Mario Stiehl)
Trek Factory Racing's Riccardo Zoidl has broken his right collarbone after a high-speed downhill crash on the white roads of Tuscany during Strade Bianchi .The 25-year-old Austrian national champion who impressed at the Tour Méditerranéen only three weeks ago, lost control on a right-hand turn in the seventh sector during the race.
"We were in a good position with the team, as we knew that would be a key moment in the race. It was a fast downhill and there was wind coming from the left. I was full in the wind and I didn't manoeuvre well enough, heading into the turn at the bottom," Zoidl said after being to pull out of the race.
"To top that, I bumped my front wheel in a hole and that was it. I didn't feel pain straight away, but I knew my collarbone was broken when I touched it with my fingers."
Zoidl will return home to Austria for t necessary medical checks and scans with an operation looking likely. With no decision made yet on his recovery, it is unclear when Zoidl will return to competition.
Trek signed Zoidl following a breakout 2013 season riding for Gourmetfein-Simplon which saw the Austrian claim the UCI Europe Tour title off the back of overall classification victories at the Tour of Austria, Oberösterreichrundfahrt, Circuit des Ardennes and the Circuit des Ardennes as well as two one-day races and the national road championships.
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