"I'm going to ride in Andorra no matter what" Martin Vidaurre shows how he got injured in La Thuile

A few hours before the XCC/XCO World Cup in Andorra, Martin Vidaurre has published an interesting video showing from the inside how his complicated experience at the La Thuile World Cup unfolded. The Chilean arrived in Italy prepared to face a new event of the season, but an unexpected accident during training left him out of both the Short Track and the XCO.

Martin Vidaurre shows how his injury occurred in La Thuile and everything that happened afterwards

The injury had already been communicated by his team during the competition weekend. Vidaurre had suffered a severe ankle sprain and would initially be unable to participate in the XCC. Ultimately, he also did not start in the XCO event, although until now we had not been able to see exactly how the accident occurred or everything that happened in the following days.

An unexpected accident at the finish line bridge

The most striking thing is that Vidaurre did not get injured in one of the complicated technical sections of the La Thuile circuit. The accident occurred on the bridge located near the finish line area.

During the reception, one of his feet slipped off the pedal and the Chilean ended up violently putting it down on the ground. A seemingly simple movement, especially compared to the big jumps and technical areas that are part of a World Cup XCO, was enough to cause him a severe ankle sprain.

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The video allows us to see the moment of the accident and, above all, everything that happens afterwards. From the initial assessments to the work done by the team to try to speed up the recovery of the Chilean cyclist.

Vidaurre considered competing in the XCO to earn points

The evolution during the following hours was positive enough for Vidaurre to seriously consider starting in the XCO.

His intention was not to compete for the result, but to try to complete the race and earn some important points for the overall World Cup standings. The Chilean quickly improved and for a moment it seemed possible to see him on the bike on Sunday.

However, the day before the race, caution prevailed. Vidaurre and his team decided that attempting to complete a World Cup event under those conditions posed too great a risk.

The priority then shifted to properly recovering the ankle and arriving in the best possible condition for the next event on the calendar: the World Cup in Pal Arinsal, Andorra.

“I will definitely be in Andorra”

One of the most significant phrases in the video comes when Vidaurre himself convinces himself that his recovery will be fast enough: "I will race in Andorra, no matter what."

Almost a week later, the Chilean's name appears on the start list for the Andorran event. However, there is currently no official confirmation that he will compete in the Short Track of Pal Arinsal.

We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if Martin Vidaurre is finally on the starting grid for the XCC.

Beyond the injury, the video is particularly interesting because it offers a glimpse into everything surrounding a World Cup rider in the days leading up to a race. You can see how Vidaurre finalizes his high-altitude preparation, part of his training before La Thuile, and then how the team manages the situation after the accident.

An inside look at a weekend that began as a new opportunity to compete for the top spots and ended up turning into a race against time to try to recover the ankle in time for Andorra.