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Ciolek out for two months after Qatar crash

published 10 February 2010

Doctors in Germany discover further injuries, Milram sprinter to face surgery

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Germany's Gerald Ciolek (Milram) celebrates his win in Emmen, Netherlands. (Image credit: Unipublic)

Gerald Ciolek was more seriously injured in a crash at the end of the third stage of the Tour of Qatar than originally thought, with the Milram captain expected to be out of competition for up to two months.

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The 23-year-old returned to Germany on Tuesday night where doctors in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, discovered that in addition to a broken collarbone he also suffered a fracture of the scaphoid bone in his hand, as well as a separated shoulder. All the injuries are on the right side of his body.

Ciolek will undergo surgery on Thursday. He is expected to be able to start doing light training in three weeks at the earliest.

“This is a heavy blow for us, since Gerald is one of our two captains,” Milram spokesman Max Biermann told Cyclingnews. “We are all really sorry for Gerald – he was also very unlucky in the spring of last season. We hope that he heals quickly.”

Ciolek was involved in a mass crash 300 metres from the end of Tuesday's stage. He is one of a number of riders to riders have suffered broken bones in crashes at this year's Tour of Qatar.