Mathieu van der Poel has been diagnosed with a concussion after a very heavy fall in the latter stages of the Belgian one-day race AG Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne.
The Dutch national champion was in the front group, as the rain and crosswinds pelted the riders, with just over 15km remaining.
Van der Poel (25) was trying to get maximum shelter on the left side of the road when Deceuninck-QuickStep, which had numbers up front, put the group in the gutter in a bid to split.
As he was squeezed right to the edge of the road Van der Poel veered off it and down into a deep ditch, where he appeared to land on his head and neck.
He was clearly unsteady in his feet and abandoned the race, eventually won in a solo move by Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep).
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His team, Alpecin Fenix, said he was expected to make a full recovery but would undergo more medical checks.
"After his crash in the AG Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne, Mathieu van der Poel luckily didn’t have to go to the hospital, as he was examined by our team doctors," the team said.
"(He) was evaluated with a mild concussion. The team doctors will check the situation tomorrow again, but mainly MVDP is in good condition."
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