Tour de France stage winner in intensive care after being hit by car driver on training ride

Tour de France stage winner Lennard Kämna is in intensive care after he was struck by a car driver on a training ride in Tenerife.

The Bora-Hansgrohe rider is in a stable condition and awake after the incident, which took place on Tuesday, but the extent of his injuries is unknown, just that they are "numerous". His team said that members of his family were with him at a hospital on the island.

He was on Tenerife preparing for the Giro d'Italia this year, with the Tour of the Alps, where he has won stages for the past two years, supposed to be his next race.

The German rider was hit by a driver who turned left into his lane, according to a spokesperson for Bora. The team sent out an initial message on Wednesday afternoon saying that the Kämna had gone to hospital for "further examinations" after the crash, but updated their message on Thursday afternoon.

"Lennard Kämna is in a stable condition, he is awake, responsive and able to communicate," a message from Bora read. "Lennard Kämna suffered numerous injuries in yesterday's training accident on Tenerife. He is receiving very good care in the hospital on Tenerife and will be monitored in the intensive care unit over the next few days. Members of his family and the team are with him.

"According to initial findings on the accident, the driver of an oncoming vehicle turned left into Lennard Kämna's lane and collided with him. At the time, he was riding with the training group, which was accompanied by team coaches. No other team riders or coaches were involved in the accident."

 "We are relieved that Lennard's condition has stabilized after this serious accident and that he is doing well under the circumstances," Ralph Denk, the team manager of Bora said on Thursday. "The whole team feels for him, and we all wish him a speedy recovery. 

"From the team side, we will continue to do everything necessary to ensure that he makes a full recovery from this accident. That's all that matters now - anything else can wait."

The 27-year-old announced himself with stage wins at the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France in 2020, before winning a stage of the Giro d'Italia in 2022, and at the Vuelta a España last year.

In 2021, he took a break from the sport, explaining to German outlet Weser-Kurier that his "stress increased and I could no longer manage it".

Last year, Belgian 22-year-old Tijl De Decker, winner of the under-23 Paris-Roubaix, died in a training crash. In 2021, seven Bora-Hansgrohe riders were hit by a driver while on a training ride in Italy.