Britain’s junior world champion Harry Hudson is recovering after sustaining a compression fracture of his T8 vertebra in a training crash near Girona, Spain.
The 18-year-old, who won the junior road race world title in Kigali, Rwanda, last September and now rides for Lidl-Trek’s development team, was descending during a training ride last week when he was struck by a motorbike, according to posts on social media. His brother, Finley, reported that the vehicle was on the wrong side of the road and hit Harry head-on.
Fellow cyclists who were also on the road immediately assisted Hudson and called emergency services, who transported him to hospital. After spending 24 hours in hospital, he was discharged with a diagnosis of a compression fracture of his T8 vertebra and is now recovering at home.
The T8 vertebra is located in the middle of the back beneath the shoulder blades, near the lower end of the thoracic section of the spine. Compression fractures are small breaks or cracks in the vertebrae caused by trauma. Surgical intervention is typically reserved for more serious or unstable fractures, and it remains unclear how long Hudson will be sidelined.
Hudson made history in Rwanda with a stunning 36-kilometre solo ride, becoming the first British rider to win the men’s junior road race at the UCI Road World Championships. He is also a two-time British Junior Hill Climb Champion and won junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2025.
Among those sending well-wishes was 2012 world champion Philippe Gilbert, who advised Hudson to take his time and trust that youth was on his side.
He credited Lidl-Trek for their support during a difficult week — one that has cast an unwelcome shadow over what had promised to be a breakthrough professional season.
Photo Credit: AP
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