Everyone in the Giro d’Italia can agree that Pedro Horrillo is lucky that he will live to see the age of 35. The Rabobank rider, who survived an incredible 150+ foot fall down a ravine Saturday, underwent surgery for his left femur and shattered patella on Sunday.
Nobody saw Horrillo topple over the guardrail on the descent of the Culmine di San Petro climb. The domestique had been dropped by the front group on the way up, passed by the caravan, and it seems likely was trying to close the gap with a rapid descent. If it hadn’t been for his teammates seeing his bike on the side of the road, the story would have had a much different ending.
It took rescue teams several minutes to locate the position of the rider amongst the vegetation more than 150 feet below the roadway.
Some might ask why the Spaniard didn’t sit up and wait for the group behind?
It’s simple. His team leader Denis Menchov was sitting in fifth place overall with a chance to win the race – Horrillo was simply doing his job by trying to get back to the front group in case he was needed. He may not have made it up to the front group, but he certainly earned his paycheck that day.
Rabobank said today that Horrillo has made some slight improvements and is able to communicate with his wife. There is still no answer for when he will be well enough to return home, but his improvements are encouraging.