Cal Crutchlow has revealed he fractured the top of his right tibia in a freak fall at Wednesday lunchtime that has left his participation at the German Grand Prix in some doubt.
The Englishman fully intends to race at the Sachsenring this weekend despite fears over seriously damaging his ACL ligament and having 100 millilitres of dark fluid drained from his right knee on Thursday morning. “I’m not in good shape,” he admitted.
“Unfortunately I have a bad injury to my knee that happened yesterday in Assen,” Crutchlow told assembled media on Thursday. “I got off my bicycle to check my saddle height. I didn’t feel comfortable so I stopped on a cobbled road.
“I half bent down to look at my saddle and my foot slipped from underneath me on the cobble. I hit my knee really hard on the ground. I broke the top of my tibia and it seems the ACL in the centre of the knee is completely snapped.
“We had to take out some fluid. We took out around 100ml. If it was white it would have been OK. But the fluid was black, so I had to go for an MRI scan. It confirmed what we were worried about.
“I’m not in great shape. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to ride tomorrow but we’ll see. These accidents happen. You don’t normally slip when you’re off the bike; you do when you’re on it, or at least I do! That’s the situation this weekend. Always a drama.”
Crutchlow was able to bend his knee on Thursday afternoon, but did so with the aid of painkillers.
“Now yes, but in two hours I don’t know,” he said. “When the fluid goes back in it I don’t know. I couldn’t bend it at all this morning. I had the fluid taken out and I can bend it now.
“The problem is I can’t take fluid off from tomorrow onwards. There’s a no needle policy during an event. I’ll try my best to manage the situation.”
The 33-year old, who claimed seventh place at Assen just four days ago, said he reacted to the fall by cycling home despite feeling immediate pain in the fall.
“I rode home,” he said. “[At] Yesterday lunchtime. In the end I plan to ride tomorrow and have a good weekend. Ironically some of my best ever races have been when I’ve been injured. I’m taking the positives out of that.
“But the thing is here the right corners are tighter than the left. I’ll see tomorrow. I can’t do anything about it. This is the situation. It won’t be an excuse to go fast or slow this weekend. I’ll try my best but the situation isn’t good with how much blood we pulled out of the knee. I rode home.
“I had no pain after when I was riding back. The crack when I hit the ground – people came out of the café [to see what happened]. Maybe the key is ride again today but the doctors won’t let me.”
