Lorenzo Gobbo, a 17-year-old Italian cyclist with GB Junior Team, was impaled by a large piece of wooden track during a crash at the Junior and U23 European Track Championships on Friday.

As of Tuesday, Gobbo was still in the hospital, though he appears to be on the mend. He is expected to make a full recovery.

On Friday, Italian cyclist Lorenzo Gobbo, 17, crashed at the the Junior and U23 European Track Championships at the Eddy Merckx Velodrome in Ghent, Belgium, and was pierced by a large wooden splinter during a scratch race, as the BBC reported.

The freak accident occurred as a result of a rider’s pedal striking the track during the crash, causing the massive piece of wood to break off. The splinter entered the left side of Gobbo’s back, piercing through his lung, and coming out the other side of his abdomen and into his thigh, according to the report.

Calling it a “splinter,” though, doesn’t quite do it justice—the piece of wood was half a meter long, or roughly 20 inches, and it looked more like the rider had just lost a jousting match.

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Incredible quello che è successo ieri in pista a Gand per #LorenzoGobbo che caduto assieme ad altri è stato trafitto da un listello di legno staccato dalla pista. Ricoverato in ospedale ed operato dovrà starci per circa 15 giorni. Buona guarigione #amoilciclismo pic.twitter.com/CAnFZhzWed — Michele Malfatti (@MichGPS) July 13, 2019

Gobbo was rushed to Jan Palfijn hospital, where he spent three hours in surgery to extract the wood.

On Tuesday, doctors needed to drain Gobbo’s lung. And as of yesterday, according to Tuttobiciweb, Gobbo remains in the hospital. However, he appears to be on the mend—the outlet reported that doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Gobbo said it has been easier for him to breathe, and he even managed to get out of bed and walk a bit on his own.

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The director of the Flanders Cycling Association, Frank Glorieux, said in a statement that Gobbo has kept a good sense of humor throughout this whole ordeal, as The Independent reported.

“He said he would [rather] have won the race than make the newspapers this way. He could still laugh, but he doesn’t want to ride on the track for the time being,” Glorieux said. “He will have to find his courage. He should recover completely, but there is a long recovery time ahead for him.”

Jessica Coulon Assistant Digital Editor When she’s not out riding her mountain bike, Jessica reports on news, gear, and all things cycling related for Bicycling.

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