Rider was due to go on team training camp tomorrow
Spanish rider Markel Irizar has suffered a setback in his preparations for the new season, crashing while out training, just one day before he was due to meet his RadioShack – Nissan team-mates in Calpe.
The 31year old hit the ground hard and suffered heavy injuries to his face.
He was left with cuts to his lip and his right eyebrow which required stitching, as well as a bruised eye which has closed right over. However the most serious effect is the broken jaw he has suffered, as well as a fractured finger.
He’s currently under observation to see how things progress. However even if there are no further complications, the fall will have set back his preparations for the new season.
Irizar took one of the best results of the career this year when he won the overall classification of the Vuelta a Andalucía. The 31 year old is one of a dozen riders who will transfer across from the current RadioShack team to the Leopard-Trek setup, which next year will be known as RadioShack Nissan.
It is not known if he will be able to join his team-mates prior to the end of the Calpe training camp.