Malori has 'goosebumps' at speedy recovery from San Luis crash

Image 1 of 6

Adriano Malori says he has "goosebumps" thinking about the progress he has made since his terrible crash at the Tour de San Luis in January. Having returned to training on a stationary bike for the first time a couple of weeks ago, the Italians's recovery is going quickly, according to an update from the Movistar team. 

Malori was placed in an induced coma after suffering head injuries in a high-speed crash on stage 5 of the Argentinean race, in which he also broke his collarbone and suffered other injuries. He was riding on the front of the bunch when he apparently hit a pothole and went over his handlebars at a reported 65km/h, triggering a 40-rider pile-up.

Three weeks after the crash, Malori was transferred to the Navarre region of Spain, where the Movistar team is based, and has been carrying out his rehabilitation at the Centro Neurológico de Atención Integral in Imarcoain. He is currently receiving treatment six hours a day, through specialised methods such as hydrotherapy, virtual reality, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy and neuropsychology.

“We're very satisfied about Adriano's quick, favourable recovery," said the centre's director Manuel Murie-Fernández, who explained that the rider is ahead of schedule in some areas. “He's been able to reduce the length of some phases."

Malori is also turning the pedals again, and Movistar released pictures of him riding his bike on a home trainer set-up. As he starts to regain the strength in his legs, there is still a long way to go on the road to recovery, and the team has stated that the neurorehabilitation process takes six to twelve months to complete - though that may be shortened depending on the rider's evolution. 

"My recovery is going quickly: just thinking how I was one and a half months ago and at this moment... it gives me goosebumps," said Malori in a statement from the team. 

“I felt really comfortable when I got on my bike for the first time after the accident, even if it wasn't on the road; for me, this is like starting over again - the second part of my professional career."