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Pedro Horrillo is on slow road to recovery from his huge fall in the Giro
Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo survived one of the most harrowing crashes in cycling history, but he’s still holding out hope that he can return to the professional peloton in 2010.
In May’s Giro d’Italia, Horrillo was tremendously lucky to survive a 180-foot fall into a ravine during stage 8 in the mountains of northern Italy. Horrillo cannot recall what caused the accident; others simply found his bike alongside the road, but no sign of him.
It took searchers 20 minutes just to locate him, somehow still alive in a deep ravine after flying over a guard-rail. He suffered horrific injuries, including a broken femur, kneecap and vertebra as well as a punctured lung. It took another hour before rescuers could lift him out of the ravine and transport him to a regional hospital.
Rabobank doctors said it was Horrillo’s large musculature that likely saved his life. Incredibly, he suffered no signs of brain injury and despite spending more than five weeks in a hospital, has been on the slow road to recovery.
Whether that means he can return to the pro ranks remains to be seen.
“I don’t want to obsess about (a comeback). I don’t want to take a decision too soon and have it be the wrong one,” Horrillo told Biciciclismo. “I have given myself until the end of the year and in December, I will decide. The team’s waiting for my decision, but I still haven’t made one.”
After several months of rehabilitation, Horrillo is back training on his bike, riding about 100km at “cyclo-tourist” speed.
He underwent another surgery about a month ago for more work on his knee, which is being held together with clamps and stitches while it heals and he regains full leg strength.
While he recovers, he is laying the foundation for a return to Rabobank just he case he can pull it off.
He attended a post-season meeting with all new and departing Rabobank riders. At this point, Horrillo isn’t sure which one he’ll be.
