Filippo Pozzato looking for a speedy recovery after the stage 5 crash at the Tour of Qatar 2012
Filippo Pozzato of Team Farnese Vini-Selle Italia broke his collarbone during the fifth stage of the ongoing Tour of Qatar.
The cyclist was looking good during the 160 kilometre stage five of the race but unfortunately ended up in a devastating crash which ended his tour hopes.
The crash affected a number of other cyclists, including Thor Hushovd of Team BMC.
The 30-year-old was at the 43rd overall position after the stage 4 classifications and his main role was to help the team leader for the overall classifications.
He crashed during the final 30 kilometres of the fifth stage and was immediately taken to the hospital in Doha.
Doctors confirmed that the cyclist fractured his clavicle and will not be able to ride the final stage of the race.
The Italian fractured his left clavicle during the Tour of Belgium earlier and remained under treatment for a period of two months.
Filippo is a Classics Specialist and had secured a number of victories over the years, including the Milan-San Remo 2006, Omloop Het Volk 2007 and E3 Prijs Vlaanderen 2009.
He also holds two Tour de France and one Vuelta a Espana stage victory under his belt.
Team Farnese Vini-Selle Italia is hopeful that Filippo will make a comeback to represent the team in the coming classics.
The team's General Manager Luca Scinto told the media that they are hopeful for a speedy recovery as Pozzato is their main rider for the season ahead.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport, “We’ve already been in touch with the doctor who operated on his clavicle last year. Pippo will probably be operated on again on Saturday. Provided the fracture isn’t a bad one, we’re optimistic that we’ll have him back in time for Tirreno-Adriatico”.
The cyclist commented about his condition via twitter, “I don’t know how long it will take, but it’s certain that I will return to Italy for the operation (I think I’ll need one)”.
Filippo started his professional career in 2000 and represented Team Mapei- for a period of three years.
He rode for the World Tour Team Katusha for three years, 2009-2011 but could not make it through to the top level of sport this year and accepted an offer from the continental team.
The team has been invited to the Milan-San Remo, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia and the Gent-Wevelgem through wildcard entry for the 2012 season.
It is believed that Pozzato will recover just in time to make an impact in the upcoming races.
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