- Chris Harper fell off his bike during the Tour of the Alps
- An Australian landed hard and slid headlong into a lamppost.
- He suffered a concussion but luckily was wearing a helmet.
Australian cyclist Chris Harper somehow managed to avoid serious injury in a dramatic high-speed crash during the Tour of the Alps that left him immobile after crashing head-first into a lamppost.
Harper was later able to downplay the accident, which occurred when he got off his bike while attacking on a descent.
The 29-year-old appeared to get into trouble while traveling on uneven pavement, landing hard on his right side before the shocking impact with the pole.
He was forced to abandon the race, but was seen sitting and talking to team staff and doctors shortly after.
Chris Harper (pictured) was involved in a terrifying high-speed crash during the Tour of the Alps, but fortunately managed to avoid serious injury.
Harper’s team later confirmed that their rider suffered a minor concussion.
“Fortunately, scans and x-rays showed no fractures,” read a team statement.
‘Chris has suffered superficial injuries and a minor concussion. “The Australian will now rest and recover, and follow the team’s concussion protocol.”
The cyclist later posted his own note to fans, downplaying the dramatic accident.
“Not the best way to end the first part of the season,” he posted on Instagram.
‘It’s time to hit the reset button and prepare for the next goals and hopefully warmer weather.
“Thank you all again for the nice messages after my little fall on stage 4. On to the next one.”
Surprisingly, fellow Australian Ben O’Connor also crashed at the same spot shortly after, but was able to continue racing with cuts to his hand and face.
The Australian cyclist later made fun of his ‘little fall’ during the race.
Harper’s team confirmed that he suffered a concussion from the accident.
‘The road looks the same, you couldn’t see the sidewalk. It’s the same color and I just took it. It wasn’t until I got to the barrier that I said ‘fuck’ and jumped,” O’Connor said afterward.
“I’m fine after the accident. I just made a mistake on this fast descent, I didn’t really see the end of the corner,” O’Connor later said on social media.
‘It’s a bit annoying, but in the end today I came third and got a few more seconds in the general classification. I can be happy with how it went, the legs were very good all day, right at the end after the fall my body was a little shaky, but I’m fine. I guess everything will be ready tomorrow.