A day after the Trofeo Alfredo Binda on March 20th, news came out that Trixi Worrack (Canyon-SRAM) had undergone emergency surgery after having been involved in a crash on a small descent around 55 kilometers into this Italian Women’s WorldTour race. She was taken to Cittiglio hospital immediately for scans, but had to be transferred to Varese hospital where she her left kidney was operated on. It wasn’t until three days later that she was allowed to leave the intensive care unit.

It is being reported that the 34-year-old Worrack had her left kidney removed and is uncertain about being able to continue her career as a pro cyclist.

“I’m not feeling very well, I have a lot of pain,” she told a German news agency.

She returned to her home in Erfurt, Germany, after leaving the hospital in Varese last Friday.

“I’ve torn my left kidney in three places during the crash, so it had to be completely removed,” Worrack explained.

With the consequences of her crash, Worrack admits she is uncertain whether she’ll be able to return to racing ever again.

“This is not your typical cyclist injury like a broken collarbone, after which you can calculate roughly when you’ll be back on the bike. I have no idea yet how it all goes.”

In an interview published on Radsport News today, Worrack clarifies that she is definitely planning on coming back. “I might have only one kidney now, but I also only have one heart. Fortunately, you are born with two kidneys and I can continue after losing one. If I was afraid of getting back on a bike, it would be wrong to aim for a return in pro cycling. But I’m not.”

The three time Olympian was aiming for a spot in the German Olympic team for Rio this summer, but that has now become uncertain.

In her 16th year as a pro cyclist, she is still competitive for victories and podium places, sprinting to third at the Women’s WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe this month and getting second in Stage 2 of the Ladies Tour of Qatar before securing the overall win earlier this year.

Here she is talking to Felix Mattis after having won the Ladies Tour of Qatar last February.