There was a difficult moment today during the team Quick Step training camp, when Kevin Van Impe took a bad fall during his workout.
Van Impe was riding along a flat section coming off of the Col de Rates with the rest of the team, when suddenly two dogs ran into the middle of the road.
“It all happened in an instant,” explained Van Impe, “I was pedalling toward the back of the group. In front of me everyone braked to avoid the dogs. I immediately put on the brakes, but it was already too late. I hit Hulsmans’ back wheels and then I hit the ground.”
In the fall Van Impe took a bad hit to his right knee, which had already been operated on some time ago, and which had compromised the strong Belgian athlete’s performance in the last season. “I felt a strong pain in the knee and immediately feared the worst,” continued Van Impe, “I can’t shake this bad luck! I’m really looking forward to the end of the 2008 season, and hoping that 2009 will be a better year for me.”
Van Impe was immediately examined by the team’s medical staff, and taken by car back to the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe. Tomorrow morning after a few hours of observation, there will be a new evaluation of the situation, but normally Van Impe will have to respect one week of rest before resuming regular training.