Ben crashed during his recon of the Basque stage race’s opening time trial. The pain from his fall subsided and Ben decided to continue the race after consulting our medical team. Throughout Itzulia, our doctors monitored his injury. Although he was hampered by some stiffness, Ben’s pain continued to diminish. However, after the race, his soreness flared up, so our medical team and Ben decided to go for an MRI to check for a deeper injury. Those scans revealed a small, un-displaced mid-sacral fracture that will not require surgery, but will rule Ben out of competition for 3 to 4 weeks.

“This week, Ben’s pain increased, so we decided to take him for an MRI,” said EF Pro Cycling Head Doctor Jon Greenwell. “Those scans came back with a non-displaced sacral fracture that will not require surgery. Since he is unable to ride comfortably, we decided that it is best for him to have some time off to prevent any long term complications or other injuries that might occur whilst trying to work around this injury. Ben should be back on his bike in about two weeks to begin his preparations for the Tour.”

Ben is very disappointed to miss the Ardennes classics, which he had been targeting since the start of the year. He will now travel home to rest and recover, before beginning his rehab process. He is determined to reach the Tour de France in his best shape.

“It’s gutting,” Ben said. “I’ve just got to roll with the punches. I’m trying not to think about it too much, but it’s going to suck to watch the Ardennes and not be a part of it. That’s bike racing. It just is what it is.

“At Itzulia, I thought I was getting better throughout the race, and I thought not too much damage was done. It wasn’t really until I got home that it really started to give me some grief. Since getting home from Itzulia, I haven’t been able to ride. Obviously, we needed to find out what was causing the pain. That’s why we went and got the scan in the end.

“The bone that I fractured is a pretty insignificant bone, so as soon as I don’t have pain, then I should be able to ride as I wish. It’s the pain that we’re worried about and the risk that I could give myself a secondary injury. As soon as there’s no pain, then hopefully we’ll be on track for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the Tour. We just need to see how recovery goes first.”

Get well soon, Ben. You’ll be flying off the front of the peloton soon enough! EF Pro Cycling’s fans are with you all the way.