- Chris Harper came off his bike during the Tour of the Alps
- The Australian landed hard and hit his head against the lamppost
- He suffered a concussion, but fortunately was wearing a helmet
Australian cyclist Chris Harper has somehow managed to avoid serious injury in a dramatic high-speed crash during the Tour of the Alps, which left him motionless after hitting his head on a lamppost.
Harper was later able to downplay the accident, which happened when he got off his bike while attacking on a descent.
The 29-year-old appeared to be in trouble as he drove over uneven pavement and fell hard on his right side before taking the shocking hit against the post.
He was forced out of the race, but was found sitting up and talking to team staff and doctors shortly afterwards.
Chris Harper (pictured) was involved in a terrifying high-speed crash during the Tour of the Alps, but fortunately managed to avoid serious injury
Harper’s team later confirmed that their rider had suffered a mild concussion.
“Fortunately, scans and X-rays showed no fractures,” a team statement said.
‘Chris suffered superficial injuries and a mild concussion. The Australian will now rest and recover, and follow the team’s concussion protocol.”
The cyclist posted his own note for fans afterwards, in which he made light of the dramatic crash.
“Not the best way to end the first part of the season,” he posted on Instagram.
‘Time to hit the reset button and get ready for the next goals and hopefully some warmer weather.
‘Thanks everyone again for the nice messages after my crash on stage 4. On to the next one.’
Amazingly, fellow Australian rider Ben O’Connor also crashed in the same spot shortly afterwards, but was able to continue racing with cuts to his hand and face.
The Australian cyclist made light of his ‘little crash’ later during the race
Harper’s team confirmed that he suffered a concussion from the accident
“The road looks the same, you couldn’t see the curb. It’s the same color and I just grabbed it. It wasn’t until I got to the barrier that I thought ‘f**k’ and jumped,” O’Connor said afterwards
‘I’m doing well after the crash. I just made a mistake on this fast descent, I really didn’t see the end of the turn,” O’Connor said later on social media.
‘It’s a bit annoying, but in the end I finished third today and gained a few more seconds in the general classification. I can be satisfied with how it went, the legs were very good all day, only at the end after the crash my body was a bit shocked, but I’m doing well. It’ll all be in tomorrow, I think.’