Ruben Fernandez breaks jaw in training crash

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Rubén Fernández suffered a broken jaw in a training crash near his home on Tuesday, according to a statement on the Movistar website. The 25-year-old from Murcia had only recently full recovered from a broken collarbone he suffered in September at Milan-Torino. 

Fernández was training on his home region's roads on Tuesday morning when a hard gust of wind threw him to the ditch, causing him to crash and hit his face on the ground, according to the team's statement. He remained conscious as bystanders assisted him before an ambulance transported him to the Morales Meseguer hospital in Murcia. Early checks confirmed a broken jaw and several missing teeth. Fernández will remain hospitalised for more observation before he undergoes surgery to repair the fractured jaw.

Fernández signed with Movistar in 2015 after three years with Caja Rural-Seguros. Before fracturing his collarbone in September, Fernández had finished second during stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana and wore the leader's jersey for a day.

He impressed as one of the strongest climbing domestiques guiding Nairo Quintana to overall victory in the Spanish Grand Tour. Fernández was also sixth overall at three weeklong stage races: the Tour of Poland, the Tour Down Under and Vuelta a Burgos.

Following his crash in Milan-Torino, the team gave the former Tour de l'Avenir winner a three-year deal that will take him through 2019.

"He's one of the biggest sources of excitement for the Movistar team, and he shares that enthusiasm," the team said in a statement at the time, adding that Fernández is "one of the best climbers and future stars of Spanish cycling."