Italian cyclist Simone Consonni broke his collarbone after colliding with an e-bike rider while riding in Glasgow at the World Championships on Tuesday morning.
The 28-year-old was out with team-mate Francesco Lamon, when the duo collided head-on with another rider whilst using a cycle path. Consonni, who was set to compete in the points race on the track on Wednesday evening, suffered a broken clavicle and scaphoid, while Lamon received only minor injuries.
The e-bike rider is said to have ended up falling into the River Clyde.
“This morning I wanted to do two hours to stretch my legs ahead of tomorrow,” Consonni said in a voice note shared with Cycling Weekly. “Francesco and I went out and we got onto this narrow cycle path, with this blind left-hand turn, and this other cyclist on an e-bike was coming in the other direction, with panniers.
“His bike was carrying quite a bit of weight. I tried to avoid him by turning to the left, but from what I remember, he hit me on the right shoulder with his helmet.”
Consonni turned up to the evening session at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on Tuesday with his arm in a sling, and watched the racing from the stands. “My collarbone is slightly chipped, my left scaphoid is broken,” he confirmed, having undergone X-rays during the afternoon.
The Italian will now forego his final event and return home to be treated by the national team’s medical staff.
This year’s Glasgow World Championships also brought previous misfortune for the Cofidis rider, who has struggled with illness. “They didn’t start well for me,” he said. “I had a bit of flu, and I wanted to redeem myself tomorrow in the points race.”
Consonni came into the event as the defending team pursuit champion, but was too unwell to be part of the quartet who contested the final on Saturday. The Italians ultimately lost to the Danes, reversing the roles from the Olympics exactly two years before.
A press contact from the Italian track cycling team told Cycling Weekly that they would not seek to press charges against the e-bike rider, and do not plan to report the incident to the police.
