Luca Van Boven Somehow Finished Mountain Stage With a Collapsed Lung at Vuelta a España

Luca Van Boven somehow raced up Friday’s Vuelta a España summit finale with two broken ribs and a collapsed lung after a violent crash that ultimately ended his race.

The 26-year-old Lotto-Intermarché rider climbed back onto his bike Friday after slamming into a wall and finished last in brutal summit finish, more than 33 minutes behind winner Andreas Leknessund.

Only afterward did hospital examinations reveal just how badly Van Boven was hurt. He did not start Saturday’s stage 8 after doctors confirmed two fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.

The crash also drew action from the UCI race jury, which handed XDS Astana’s Alessandro Romele a yellow card for “improper conduct that endangers others.”

The crash unfolded near the back of the bunch as the peloton raced across an elevated pedestrian crossing through a town.

Romele appeared to be knocked off his line as he rode over the raised crossing. The 22-year-old Italian veered to his right and made contact with Van Boven, sending the Belgian over the curb and onto the sidewalk.

Van Boven crashed hard onto his right side and slammed into the side of a building before striking what appeared to be a metal gutter. He struggled to stand and was obviously in considerable pain after spinning back onto the road.

Van Boven Spends Night in Spanish Hospital

Despite the heavy impact, Van Boven remounted and battled through to the summit finish. Only after medical examinations following the stage did the full extent of his injuries emerge.

Lotto-Intermarché confirmed Saturday that Van Boven spent the night in a Spanish hospital.

“Luca Van Boven suffered two broken ribs and a collapsed lung because of the nasty crash during stage 7 of La Vuelta, which he courageously managed to finish. Luca will remain in hospital overnight for further observation and will unfortunately not start tomorrow. He will continue to be closely monitored,” a team note read.

“We are sad to lose a precious teammate and such positive personality around the team. We wish Luca lots of strength and a speedy recovery.”

There was no immediate reaction from Romele.

The XDS Astana rider is making his grand tour debut at this Vuelta and has already flashed his sprinting speed with fourth place on stage 5.