Italian rider Pozzovivo seriously injured in crash

Italian rider Domenico Pozzovivo has been seriously injured after being knocked down by a car, his Bahrain-Merida team said on Monday.

Pozzovivo was involved in the collision while training near Cosenza in southern Italy. The 36-year-old was taken to a local hospital and remains in intensive care.

“Although stable and conscious (Pozzovivo) has suffered multiple bone fractures requiring surgery,” the team said.

“@pozzovivod suffered fractured arm and leg after being hit by a car,” they tweeted.

A climbing specialist Pozzovivo helped teammate Vincenzo Nibali to a second-place finish in this year’s Giro Italia.

He had been training for the Vuelta a España which starts on August 24, but will now likely miss the race with reports suggesting he has suffered further fractures including six broken ribs as well as chest injuries.