Toms Skujins crashes heavily at the Tour of California

Cannondale rider suffers bad cuts and concussion from heavy fall whilst leading the race

Latvian Toms Skujins took a heavy fall while riding in the breakaway during the Amgen Tour of California’s second stage on Monday. Skujins, a two-time Amgen Tour of California stage winner, sustained a concussion, a left collarbone fracture, and road rash. Medical evaluation is ongoing. Cannondale-Drapac will provide updates should new information become available.

“I’m feeling all right,” Skujins said Monday night. “I’m really bummed, of course. Besides that, I’m healthy. I’m good. We’ll assess with the team doctors and figure things out moving forward. Thank you to all the messages from my fans and my friends — but I won’t be able to answer them because I shouldn’t be looking at my phone.”

Sport director Tom Southam: “Toms' crash obviously had a huge impact on us today. It was a high-speed crash and unfortunately it happened at a time when the race was fragmented, which delays information and makes these situations extremely hard. Toms instinctively continued riding but it was clear that he couldn’t go on. It’s a blow for the team and for his own ambitions but that was a serious fall, and racing can take a back seat while he heals.”

Skujins is now in the team’s internal concussion protocol, meaning he will work closely with medical staff while following a “return to play” program that puts his health above all else. Racing, for example, is off the table for six days, minimum.

“Our internal concussion program is designed to slow things down and give the rider time to recover properly,” said Slipstream Sports CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “Concussion recovery varies from person to person and from day to day. We’ll evaluate Toms daily and he’ll need to pass a cognitive test before he returns to hard training or racing. His health is the most important thing to all of us.”

I would never suggest getting in a fight with tarmac because you will loose. pic.twitter.com/YCqHNbgwDc

— Toms Skujinš (@Tomashuuns) May 16, 2017