When we summarize the career of Nacer Bouhanni the day he stops, we will probably talk about his bad luck. Last summer on the road to Andorra, the sprinter from the Arkéa-Samsic team, after a good start to the race, had to abandon the Tour de France two days after a heavy collective fall.
This Thursday, the Vosges runner went to the ground again during a training outing for his team in Spain: “Nacer Bouhanni fell [jeudi] in training. Stitches were put on his brow bone with a slight loss of consciousness. He passed additional examinations in the hospital and presents a concussion with headaches”, indicates this Friday morning his team in a statement.
The fall occurred near Altea in the province of Alicante in southern Spain where Arkéa-Samsic riders are preparing for the season. Nacer Bouhanni was transported in the evening to the nearest hospital in Benidorm for further examinations. He got out quickly.
One to two weeks of recovery
The sprinter returned to France this Friday to rest. According to the UCI protocol for the management of concussions, the rider must observe a complete rest period of between 24 and 48 hours. He will not be able to return to competition for at least a week after the symptoms dissipate. Nacer Bouhanni had planned to start his season on the occasion of the Saudi Tour which will take place from February 1 to 5. Two years ago, during the first edition of this race in Saudi Arabia, Bouhanni took second place in the final classification.
The duration of his unavailability is not specified but it is very likely that he will not be able to take the start this time. His full recovery is expected to take one to two weeks after he is laid to full rest for the next two days.