Stig Broeckx in coma after motorbike crash at Belgium Tour

Lotto Soudal rider Stig Broeckx is in a coma after two race motorbikes collided and crashed into the peloton at the Baloise Belgium Tour on Saturday.

Race organisers told cyclingnews.com that the first motorbike had braked to a standstill and the second motorbike had then run into the back of it, sending both into the bunch.

Nineteen riders were brought down and 11 needed hospital treatment, but Broeckx, a 26-year-old Belgian, was the most seriously inured.

In a statement released by Lotto Soudal, team doctor Servaas Bingé said: "A scan was taken at the hospital and it showed that Stig has two bleedings in his brain. Stig is in a non-induced coma, but for the moment he doesn't need to undergo surgery.

"He doesn't have a skull fracture, but he does have a fractured eye socket, which will be further evaluated later. At this point, it is very difficult to give a prognosis about a full recovery. The next 24 hours he will be very closely monitored."

The incident happened on a descent 65km into the third stage of the five-day race. The stage was initially neutralised but later abandoned.

It was the latest in a series of crashes caused by race motorbikes. Earlier this year, the Belgian rider Antoine Demoitie died after being struck by a motorbike at Gent-Wevelgem.

Tony Martin, the three-time world time trial champion, who is racing at the Baloise Belgium Tour, tweeted: "What we need NOW is a round table with UCI, race organizers and riders to force changes and decide one safety standard for EVERY race!"

The International Cycling Union subsequently tweeted: "The UCI has recently introduced strict new rules governing the conduct of motorcycle riders in races and we will be looking very closely at what happened today to determine whether those rules were respected."