Pedro Horrillo, the Spanish rider who tumbled 60 metres down a ravine last Saturday on stage eight of the Giro d'Italia, is slowly improving in hospital.
According to his Rabobank team, Horrillo is now sitting up in bed and has talked to his wife Lorena.
Considering the injuries he sustained, this is a remarkable recovery. Horrillo suffered multiple fractures to his leg, knee, back and ribs, plus serious upper body injuries and a punctured lung.
It took 20 minutes for the rescue team to recover Horrillo from the ravine. He was then airlifted to hospital and put into a coma for 24 hours by doctors.
Despite his good recovery, Horrillo is still unable to fly back to Spain from Italy.
An eventual return to cycling has not been ruled out in the long term by Rabobank team doctor Gert Leinders, but the Spaniard will be taking things one step at a time.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Giro d'Italia 2009 links
Stage reports
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stage 12: Menchov storms to Giro TT win and race lead
Stage 11: Cavendish romps to second Giro stage win
Stage 10: Di Luca lays down the gauntlet
Giro rest day review (May 18)
Stage nine: Cavendish blitzes rivals to win in Milan
Stage eight: Siutsou makes it two in a row for Columbia-Highroad
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
Meet the long-haul trucker who’s clocked 600+ hours on his bike this year
5 bike maintenance essentials, and how to better pay attention to your bicycle’s needs
