Horner

[dnades]

Any news on Horner? Hope he recovers well and soon.

[rice rocket]

http://video.bicycling.com/video/Chris-Horner-Post-Stage-7-Crash

Scary.

[thwart]

Reminds me of when my dad fell off the roof.

Significant concussion; basically reset the computer. Would be dangerous for him to ride tomorrow and risk another head injury.

[Hawker]

Obviously he shouldn't ride if he has a concussion...but I'm running out of riders to get excited about.

Interesting dynamic to see Andreu interviewing Bruyneel. Guess there must be some sort of professional truce.

[Wilkinson4]

Oh man... First things first is to hope he fully recovers. I think racing tomorrow is a no-no and he should not be allowed to go imo.

Get well Chris!!!

mIKE

[phoenix]

I can’t believe that nobody stopped him from finishing the race, and when I say “nobody” i’m pointing at you TDF docs and Johan. Pretty reckless and irresponsible in my opinion. Almost makes me want to boycott the TDF from here on out. Hey, anything to a appease sponsors I guess.

[rdparadise]

Sure it was dangerous and probably not the right decision. Guys work their whole lives to get a spot on a tour team. They don't typically not finish a stage if they are able to physically. In this case Horner was bumped and bruised but his head was a marshmellow that took a huge hit. He should have abandoned, however, in the moment it's very hard to do that when you're able to peddle on. Look a Boneen (sp) the other day.

Bob

[Nags&Ducs]

Wow!!! His final question tells it all- "But I finished???" Chris had no clue about nothing!! I'm surprised he knew how to pedal. I'm surprised he knew his name.

Sucks big time. Hope he gets well soon. His tour is over.

[R2D2]

He's now withdrawn and spending the weekend in the hospital. Hope he gets well soon.

[R2D2]

.

[skreaminquadz]

Scary to see that video. I'm a big Horner fan and it's sad to see this. Hope he gets better soon.

[1happygirl]

Scary to see that video. I'm a big Horner fan and it's sad to see this. Hope he gets better soon.
+1

[Climb01742]

it was scary. he had no idea what happened. the whole issue of concussions in sports is so little understood. at least in other sports there are time-outs where players can be examined. and a player can come out and go back in. because those aren't possible in cycling, the risks seem greater.

[phoenix]

Sure it was dangerous and probably not the right decision. Guys work their whole lives to get a spot on a tour team. They don't typically not finish a stage if they are able to physically. In this case Horner was bumped and bruised but his head was a marshmellow that took a huge hit. He should have abandoned, however, in the moment it's very hard to do that when you're able to peddle on. Look a Boneen (sp) the other day.

Bob
I totally understand that these guys work their entire lives to get to the Tour, but I also think that directors and doctors have a duty to keep the riders as well as spectators safe, all of which they failed to do. As far as Boonen, he didn’t suffer a possibly life altering injury.

On a side note, I do find it amazing that he was still able to finish. He had no idea what the was going on, but he finished.

[dekindy]

Did the large quantity of riders in the crash prevent the team and race doctors from examining Horner? He obviously got up and started riding again so nobody probably suspected. When Brajkovik crashed the team and race doctor were both there to examine him but there were only 4 riders to examine, not 40% of the peloton to sort through.

[retrofit]

I don't know if the race doctor examined Horner before he got on his bike again, but video shows a doctor examining him after he rejoined the race while he was riding. Versus reported last night that the doctor stated Horner was confused at that time and as a result, assigned a medical vehicle to follow him the rest of the stage.

[retrofit]

it was scary. he had no idea what happened. the whole issue of concussions in sports is so little understood. at least in other sports there are time-outs where players can be examined. and a player can come out and go back in. because those aren't possible in cycling, the risks seem greater.


Indeed. I would hope that anytime a rider crashes and loses consciousness (Horner did appear to be unconscious in the ditch for some time), a medical protocol would be invoked requiring immediate assessment requiring, at the very least, that a rider be oriented to person, place and time.

[dnades]

according to Johan.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpps/sports/american-horner-out-of-tour-de-france-dpgonc-km-20110709_14048957

interesting report out of Reuters/India

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/07/09/idINIndia-58169720110709

[1happygirl]

Indeed. I would hope that anytime a rider crashes and loses consciousness (Horner did appear to be unconscious in the ditch for some time), a medical protocol would be invoked requiring immediate assessment requiring, at the very least, that a rider be oriented to person, place and time.
+1000

And how bout not letting them finish the stage?

[MattTuck]

+1000

And how bout not letting them finish the stage?

Yeah, maybe give them a pass for the rest of that day's stage. Go directly to hospital, and DQ from GC, but still give them a chance to ride the rest of the tour to support their team, assuming they check out physically at the hospital.

[dd74]

Whoa! That's bad when according to that Reuters/India story, all Horner can remember of the race is the team time trial.

[cmg]

i thought he rode the last 21.7 miles (35 kilometers) or so after the concussion. tough as nails. if you watch the video he didn't want to abandon. and yea, he didn't know where he was either. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x08VO5-gOh8

[firerescuefin]

Understanding that this scene was mayhem, the DS has got to be smarter than this. His bike was switched out and he was sent packing down the road. JB knows better. Hopefully, this will be a case study for near miss/lessons learned for the pro-cycling community.

[retrofit]

At least the Garmin-Cervelo doctor "gets it." From Cycling News an informative article -- Pro cycling plagued by head injuries (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pro-cycling-plagued-by-head-injuries); excerpts:

Cyclingnews spoke with Garmin-Cervélo physician Prentice Steffen, who questioned the idea that an affected athlete should be the one to evaluate whether he is fit to continue competing, because even if a rider can stand up and climb back on his bike it doesn't mean he is well enough to keep going...

Steffen, who has worked in emergency medicine, came up with his own protocol for evaluating head injuries...The team's policy states, "Even in the absence of obvious injury to the head or damage to the helmet, the rider will then be questioned for signs of confusion, memory loss, loss of conciousness, imbalance, or any other behaviours that indicate the rider is not at his/her normal baseline mental functioning."