Injuries Knock Cummings, Morabito Out Of California Race
The BMC Racing Team lost Steve Cummings and Steve Morabito to injuries Tuesday at the Amgen Tour of California after the pair was caught up in a crash in the final five kilometers of Monday’s stage.
Crash ‘Happened So Fast’
Three stitches were needed to close a deep cut in Cummings’s right knee and he also re-injured his left wrist, the same one broken in a crash six weeks ago. Morabito has severe road rash on his left side, making it impossible to extend his body forward enough to grip the handlebars on his BMC, he said. BMC Racing Team Dr. Eric Heiden said both riders will undergo X-rays later Tuesday to determine if the two have any broken bones. The crash that brought them and several other riders down happened near the end of Stage 2 as all eight riders on the BMC Racing Team were lined up on the right side of the field. “It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to brake,” Morabito said. “It was a huge road and there were only 60 guys so it was a case of being in the right place at the wrong time.”
Cummings’ Fractured Season
Cummings has already missed the better part of two months of the season. He broke his pelvis in a crash Feb. 17 at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal. He returned the following month, but fractured his wrist in a rainy stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco in Spain April 6. “I’ve got experience at this now,” Cummings said, smiling. “So if my wrist is broken again, I’ll just go on the trainer and it won’t take me long to come back.” Morabito said it’s a big disappointment to withdraw from the race where he finished ninth overall last year and had hopes of helping Tejay van Garderen on the more difficult, climbing stages later this week. “California is always a good race for me,” Morabito said. “I really focused a lot on this race and was working hard to be in shape and ready for the last four days.”
