According to a news report by Cyclists International, 20-year-old Colby Samstag, a junior at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the university's cycling team, was severely injured in the Tour of the Catskills race on Sunday.
The website reports that Samstag struck the rear of a Chevy Trailblazer that inserted itself between two sections of the race, on a downhill stretch of Route 23A where cyclists were going up to 65 miles per hour.
Cyclists International reports that although Samstag had serious injuries, a medvac helicopter was not able to respond:
Samstag who is a student at the University of Pennsylvania suffered severe injuries to his head, including his neck, his eye socket, and his jaw, and was taken to the Albany Medical Center by ambulance. A medvac helicopter emergency unit that was called to the scene from Albany refused the request due to weather.
A spokesperson for Albany Medical Center told the Watershed Post today that Samstag was discharged from the hospital yesterday.
Under the Button, a University of Pennsylvania news blog, wished Samstag a speedy recovery:
We’ll bring you more info if we get any, but for now it’s safe to say we should all keep this guy in our thoughts and prayers. It continues to be impressive how often Penn athletes risk so much for their sports.
