Juan Mauricio Soler treated in Spain after collision with spectator – Cycling News
Movistar’s cyclist Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez is recovering from the injuries caused by a serious crash at Tour de Suisse during a 157.7 kilometre stage 6 between Tobel-Tagerschen to Triesenberg/Malburn. He fractured his skull after colliding with a spectator
and was hospitalised immediately while the spectator survived any major injuries.
Soler is currently undergoing a therapy on his right leg at Clinica Universitaria de Navarra in Pamplona while his left leg is paralysed due to a fracture during the crash.
Nature of the crash was so severe that the Movistar cyclist had to spend three weeks in an ICU at St.Gallen, Switzerland and than he was finally transferred to a hospital in Spain. Team Movistar commented about the condition of the cyclist, “It’s going to
be a long, slow process yet, so some weeks can go by with no major news.”
Alfredo Zuniga who is the team doctor for Movistar mentioned on the team’s website, “His status is getting better very slowly, but he keeps taking small steps. He’s not in a coma anymore but is kept under high drowsiness. He spends most of the time asleep,
but when he has moments of lucidity, he obeys easy orders.”
The doctor further added that the cyclist is breathing normally by himself and doesn’t need artificial respiration. The healing process is slow but he is recovering and team Movistar is hopeful on his quick recovery.
He was 54 seconds behind the race leader Damiano Cunego and was second overall in the general classification just before his accident. Four days before the crash the Belgian won the stage on Crans-Montana and dedicated it Xavier Tondo, his team-mate who
died in an accident.
Race organisers had to neutralised the race with 33 kilometres into stage 6 of Tour de Suisse as doctors attended the cyclist and he was flown to Clinica Universitaria de Navarra in a medical aircraft after the crash and is still under treatment.
According to a famous cycling website, Soler does not remember anything about the crash but is slowly able to recognise the visitors at the hospital. His wife, team-mates and Miguel Indurain are visiting him time-to-time and he is trying really hard to hold
onto the brief conversations with them.
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