Tour de Hokkaido 2023, rider hit by a car during the first stage: he is serious in hospital, race canceled

The Hokkaido Tour 2023which began in the Italian night between Thursday 7 and Friday 8 September, will have no conclusion. The short UCI 2.2 level stage race organized on the northernmost island of the Japanese archipelago was canceled after a terrible accident occurred during the first stage. The runners were crossing the municipality of Kamifurano when a car found itself on the road, coming from the opposite direction of the cyclists. One of the participants was hit directly by the motor vehicle and his condition immediately appeared to be very serious.

The athlete involved is one of the representatives of the local amateur team Chuo University and, according to what he reports Uhb, the runner, 21 years old, was transported to hospital with multiple injuries and in cardiac arrest. The car was driven by a 60-year-old who did not suffer any physical consequences. Following the accident, into which an investigation was launched, the organizers decided to cancel the entire race (which consisted of three stages in total).

The Tour de Hokkaido is one of the most important races of the UCI Asia Tour and in the past it has also been the scene of successes for Italian athletes: in 2019 the winner was Filippo Zaccantiin 2015 it was the turn of Riccardo Stacchiotti.