Annemiek van Vleuten shows off injuries in hospital after horror crash in Olympic road race
Tuesday 9 August 2016 18:27, UK
Annemiek van Vleuten has revealed a picture of her facial injuries as she continues her recovery in hospital from Sunday's horrific crash in the women's Olympic Games road race.
The 33-year-old Dutch rider was leading the race on the descent from the final climb of the day but with about 11km to go was catapulted over her handlebars on a tight bend.
She landed back-first on the top of a small wall running next to a deep roadside gutter and was left laying motionless as the riders chasing her came past.
The Royal Dutch Cycling Federation (KNWU) confirmed after the race that Van Vleuten was conscious and communicating but had sustained concussion and three fractures to her spine and was to remain in intensive care.
Van Vleuten seemed to be in good spirits on Tuesday as she posted a smiling picture, showing a bruised and cut face featuring a small dressing.
But it was missing out on glory that was her main frustration.
Van Vleuten wrote on Twitter: "Thanks for all the messages. Hard to deal with my disappointment but also proud about our performance."
The UCI, cycling's world governing body, was forced to defend the nature of the route following the incident.
