MADRID (AP) — Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde will spend a night under observation in the hospital after he and another cyclist were hit by a car on Saturday while training in southern Spain.
The Movistar team said that the 42-year-old Valverde did not “have any fractures or serious injuries” after the incident in Murcia on Saturday. The other cyclist — who has not been named — was well, the team said.
“I want to thank everybody for their support and the messages wishing me well that I have received today,” Valverde wrote on his Instagram profile. “Luckily it was only a scare and I am fine.”
The message accompanied a photo of the veteran rider in a hospital bed giving the thumbs-up sign with what looked like some dried blood visible on his fingers.
Spanish media said that the driver of the car fled the scene.
Valverde is one of the top cyclists of his generation due to his ability to compete both in three-week grand tours and one-day classics. He has won the 2018 world road championship, the 2009 Spanish Vuelta and a slew of shorter races.
He has said that this season will be his last.
Valverde is not riding in the Tour de France which started on Friday. He plans to race in the Vuelta starting in August.
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