DAKAR rider Jordi Viladoms has suffered at the hands of the toughest bike race in the world. The Repsol rider barely had time to enjoy his sixth-stage win, as he crashed out of the seventh stage
After the first refueling stop, Viladoms re-joined the race behind team mate Marc Coma and Isidre Esteve. In an area in which no danger had been marked on the road book and while riding behind the two other riders, Viladoms hit a stone which was hidden in the sand and was thrown off his bike.
Viladoms suffered several fractures in the crash and was assisted by the doctors of the organization, first on site and then at the bivouac located in Atar. The Repsol rider has fractured his left elbow and the scaphoid bone of his left wrist; fractures in two fingers of his right hand and a further fracture in his right ankle which he has also dislocated. The medical services of the Organization reduced the injury in his right ankle and immobilized the rest of the affected areas. This afternoon, at 20:00 local time, Viladoms was taken to the University Hospital Dr. NegrÃn in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
He has now been flown to Barcelona. Viladoms, who did not lose consciousness at any time during the accident, hopes to be back in Barcelona soon to have his injuries operated on. The rest of the Team Repsol KTM riders had an incident-free day, despite Marc Coma and Giovanni Sala feeling very sorry for what had happened to their team mate. Sala was fourth today and made a big leap up the overall standings board, to the sixth place. Coma, sixth fastest today is still leading the overall standings with an advantage of a bit over 10 minutes over second classified, Isidre Esteve.
