German cyclist Matthias Kessler is currently in a medically induced coma in a hospital in the Spanish island of Mallorca after sustaining a head injury during a fall while training. The hospital told the AFP that his life is not in danger.
The 30-year-old suffered the fall while on a training ride Wednesday with fellow German rider Andreas Kloden who now rides for Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team. The crash was reportedly caused by a cat in the road.
“Matthias Kessler suffered a severe cranial trauma and is in the intensive care unit in an induced coma,” a spokesman for the Son Dureta hospital told AFP. The hospital is in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the island
The rider is in “serious condition” but “his life is not in danger,” he explained.
Kessler tested positive for testosterone in 2007 while riding for the Astana team. His two-year suspension ended in July of last year. His best result was winning stage 3 of the 2006 Tour de France for the T-Mobile team. He also rode to third place in the 2006 Flèche Wallonne and was fifth in the 2003 Amstel Gold Race.