JUST A MONTH after a horror crash at the Olympics led to a fractured spine and put her in intensive care, Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten has recovered in remarkable fashion.

The crash left Van Vleuten in a bad state with three spinal fractures overall as well as severe concussion.

However, not only is she back cycling again, but at the 4.3km prologue of the start at the Lotto Belgium Tour yesterday, Van Vleuten actually triumphed in her first race since the crash, winning by a margin of seven seconds.

The Dutch rider, who is aiming to compete in next month’s World Championships in Qatar, admitted she was surprised by the win.

“I hadn’t expected this at all. I only got back from Italy on Saturday,” she told reporters.

“My mum had asked me to go on a holiday but I also trained there. The trip to Italy was also good mentally.”

“I trained in Italy, but I didn’t force myself because I had incurred a concussion and my back hasn’t totally healed yet, it still feels stiff.”

h/t Deadspin

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