World champion cyclist in induced coma following training crash in Spain

Dutch cycling champion Amy Pieters will remain in a medically induced coma after surgery to relieve pressure on her brain following a training accident last week in Spain.

Pieters, 30, has been hospitalized since a crash Thursday during sprint training with the national team near the Spanish town of Calpe, according to her SD Worx team. She was airlifted to a hospital in Alicante, where the surgery was performed. On Monday, doctors decided to keep her in the coma for “at least three more days,” SD Worx said in a statement.

“The doctors emphasise that extra rest at this stage gives a better chance of recovery,” the team said, adding that doctors would not assess “any damage” until Pieters is brought out of the coma. Asking for privacy for her family, the statement added, “Everyone at Team SD Worx is extremely upset and our thoughts are with Amy and her family.”

Pieters, along with teammate Kirsten Wild, recently became the Madison world champion for the third consecutive year and won Stage 2 of the Women’s Tour in 2021. The Madison is an indoor track race named for Madison Square Garden, where indoor bicycle racing was popular in the early 1900s. It is a two-person race in which riders trade places in a tag-team effort. Pieters and Wild placed fourth in the event at the Tokyo Olympics, where the women’s Madison was held for the first time.