Former World Champion Philippe Gilbert has suffered a fractured finger following an altercation with two intoxicated men on Friday, his team have announced.
It’s expected that he will need to take a couple of days off the bike but that he will still be in a position to race at the Ardennes classics.
The statement on the team’s website read as follows:
Philippe Gilbert has undergone surgery on a fractured finger sustained during training on Friday, BMC Racing Team announced today.
Gilbert was training with Loïc Vliegen in Belgium when the two riders were targeted by two intoxicated men in a car. One of the men stepped out of the car and acted aggressively towards Vliegen and Gilbert, fracturing Gilbert’s middle finger on his left hand in the process.
BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer Doctor Max Testa gave the following update.
“Philippe was taken to hospital and underwent surgery to have five pins inserted to secure three small fractures in his middle finger. He is otherwise fine but will need to take a day or two off the bike,” Dr Testa said.
“After the weekend we should have a better idea of the impact this will have on his Ardennes Classics campaign, but at this stage he should be fine to race. Luckily Loïc was not injured in the altercation.”
“I’m not feeling too bad at all. More than anything I am shocked that this happened as you don’t expect anything like this to take place when you head out for a training ride,” Gilbert explained.
It is understood that the two men were arrested by Belgian police at the time of the incident.
