By Antonio J. Salmerón
Promising young Xacobeo-Galicia rider Gonzalo Rabuñal has a fractured left collarbone and elbow following an accident while riding his mountain-bike. Rabuñal took part in a popular local race in Cambre, where the accident took place.
"[I went] over the handlebars of the bicycle after the front wheel went in a pothole," he said. "There had been a fall in front of me and between that and pretty hard braking dust, it prevented me from seeing the pothole. It was something unexpected. When I realised it was already in the air and I could not protect myself from the fall, hence the consequences."
The rider expects the accident is going to hurt his preparations for early 2009. "Doctors told me that I will have to spend for about six weeks at home," he said.
Rabuñal experienced success in 2008 with a third place on the Vuelta a Asturias' queen stage and a sixth place in the overall standings, as well as eighth in the overall standings at the Tour of Ireland.
