Team captain Christian Vande Velde crashed out of the Giro

Team captain Christian Vande Velde crashed out of the Giro in a spill with about 50km to go and suffered serious injuries that will complicate his preparations for the Tour de France.

Vande Velde broke two ribs and a severe contusion and sprain to his mid-back, said Garmin team officials.

“His front wheel got taken out,” said Garmin director Matt White. “He fell right in the middle of the road. I was with him within 10 seconds because we were the second car today. He was pretty upset. There’s no soft landing when you’re going 50kph.”

So what will happen to his tour preparations? Well they are altered at a minimum and he may have two very difficult injuries to build up to Tour form. First, fractured ribs are very difficult to treat but can be treated to speed up the healing time the largest problem is the pain when he breathes in and out and that causes an alteration in breathing habits that some feel can inhibit your cardiovascular development at this level. In addition, he has a history of back problems and this crash I am sure has flared things up. At those speeds we some times see compression fractures and disc herniation that can cause major issue with pain and discomfort. It is very difficult to generate any power when every time you press down on the peddles you have sharp back and leg pain and you can't breath because your ribs are fractured. In my clinic we have treated similar problems with sucess but a comprehensive recovery plan is a must or you have no chance of being race ready. Good luck to Christian Vande Velde I hope he has a speedy recovery.