CHAMBÉRY, France (VN) — BMC Racing team officials released a statement confirming Richie Porte has suffered a fractured clavicle and pelvis according to X-rays conducted at Centre Hopitalier Metropole Savoie in Chambéry following a horrific, race-ending stage 9 crash at the Tour de France on Sunday.
“X-rays confirmed a non-displaced right clavicle fracture and a non-displaced right acetabulum fracture,” stated team chief medical officer Dr. Max Testa in a post-race press release. ” Richie also suffered extensive superficial abrasions involving the right side of his body. At this stage, the injuries will not require surgery. The plan is to re-evaluate Richie tomorrow morning and confirm that he is stable enough to be transferred home.”
Testa confirmed that Porte will require a minimum of four weeks off the bike.
“Normally, a fractured clavicle and pelvis would require four to six weeks’ recovery, providing there are no complications,” he said. “If everything goes to plan, Richie could be back on the bike at the beginning of August and slowly build his fitness up from there.”
Tour doctor Florence Pommery said the 32-year-old Australian was alert and speaking when she arrived at the crash scene.
The French doctor heads up the Tour’s medical team, and was first upon the crash scene with Porte and Dan Martin (Quick-Step). Initial reports were encouraging, but she cautioned that a final checkup was still ongoing.
“He was speaking. He was conscious,” Pommery said. “He was afraid, I think. He wanted to know if there was a fracture. He didn’t want to move. He said, ‘I think I am OK’.”
Pommery was first onto the scene of Porte’s high-speed crash on the descent of Mont du Chat. Porte veered off the left side of the road, and swept across the pavement, striking Martin and a roadside barrier.
“The first examination was good. He was conscious, not disoriented,” she said. “The injuries were less impressive than we imagined. He was a little bit in shock, but that is very normal.”
The medical team checked Porte’s vital signs, and immobilized his neck and back. The Australian was later transported to a local hospital.
“We asked him his age, his name, so he was speaking very well,” she said. “He was asking for his glasses, saying they were expensive. I did not find his glasses, by the way. For us, he was OK. This was the first check. They are young, so we have to wait until all the complete examinations to make sure that there was nothing more serious.”
Pommery had a busier day than she would have liked in stage 9 at the Tour de France. She said she attended to “six or seven crashes, maybe 10” crashes. NBC Sports posted a photo on Twitter showing traces of blood leaking down the side of the team.
“Not a great day for us,” she said. “We were doing our work. Every day at the Tour de France can be dangerous.”
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