8x Austrian National Cycling Champion Marc Hierschläger, 16, was struck by a car during a training ride three weeks ago, leaving his bike splintered into pieces — looking more like a suitcase-sized travel bike.
While Hierschläger is on the mend after coming away from the unavoidable collision with a broken arm and road rash, photographic evidence of his ex-bike tells its own story. His top-end Specialized S-Works — complete with Roval carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace groupset — now comes conveniently disassembled: seat post separated, handlebars detached, carbon frame cracked clean through many times over. Rumor has it Specialized’s engineers have considered using this as a new prototype travel-friendly break-apart model, due to the more manageable packaging…
The young Austrian had built an exceptional junior palmares before this season’s setback, collecting national titles across multiple disciplines and establishing himself as one of Europe’s most promising junior road talents — finishing 5th at the highly competitive Austrian Time Trial Championship last May.
He had just returned from a two-week training camp in Mallorca and was looking forward to the first race of the season, posting on Instagram: “I was in top shape and couldn’t wait for the season to start.”
But for now, Hierschläger’s immediate focus is coming back one step at a time — and sourcing a replacement S-Works that arrives pre-assembled.
Photo Credit: Instagram:marc_hierschi
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