Cyclist Crashes Through Team Car's Rear Window

Cyclist Ian Crane was freakishly injured during yesterday's final stage of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado, when he came off his bike and went through the rear window of a team car that stopped short in front of him. He remains sedated in the hospital, and is listed in stable condition.

Crane, pictured above, was riding the Boulder-to-Denver stage for the Jamis-Hagens Berman team. He had been trying to catch up with the race after a bike change when the accident occurred.

Crane had suffered a minor spill about 30km into the 126km stage and had gone back to the team car for a bike change. While he was chasing back through the line of team cars following the race, there was a sudden stop of the vehicles in front of him and Crane crashed through the back window of the Cannondale team car.

There were briefly rumors that the crash had been fatal—because, holy shit, a guy was hurled through a car window—and organizers considered canceling the race. But better information quickly came through: Crane was airlifted to a local hospital and treated for his injuries.

"It was a pretty violent crash," said Ed Beamon, sport director for Jamis-Hagens Berman. "He had a lot of facial lacerations and probably some broken bones. Obviously, there was quite a bit of blood loss, mainly from the facial lacerations.

"Everything we've gotten from the doctors has been positive."

The USA Pro Challenge has proven a rough race for cyclists colliding with motor vehicles. During last week's second stage, a motorcycle veered to avoid spectators—directly into a pack of riders.