Sam Bennett reveals horrifying injuries suffered in 50-rider pile-up during the Scheldeprijs one-day classic

Both Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas were caught up in the crash but escaped any injury

Cyclist Sam Bennett was hurt in a crash in the Scheldeprijs one-day classic (Instagram/sammyben)

A 50-rider pile-up blighted the Scheldeprijs one-day classic after a huge crash during the final kilometre depleted the field, with one rider showing the shocking injuries he sustained in the accident.

Bora-Argon18’s Sam Bennett was pictured after the crash in hospital having treatment on extensive scrapes, cuts and abrasions, although the 24-year-old was lucky enough to escape without any serious injuries.

The Irishman finished in fifth-place in the same race last year and found himself in contention for the race win once again when he got caught up in the crash, with the former NetApp-Endura racer hitting the deck hard.

After the accident, Bennett revealed his ghastly injuries, while his team director confirmed he landed on his head but escaped serious injury.

“He is okay, but in pain,” said his Bora-Argon18 team director. “He fell on his head and he has whiplash.

“Even though we are confident that he'll be released shortly, we didn't want to risk anything. That's why we decided that Sam spends the night in the hospital.”

Watch the crash video below...

Both Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas of Team Sky were caught up in the crash, although they managed to avoid falling off, but the same could not be said of their team-mate Elia Viviani who hit a barrier and was taken to hospital for further assessment after complaining of pain in his arm.

Servais Knaven, Team Sky’s sports director, said: “Elia had a lot of pain in his arm and ribs, but that's all we know at the moment.

“It was fortunate that none of our other riders were involved. It was a nasty crash and everything had been going well for us before it.”

The race was eventually won by Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff, with the Norwegian taking full advantage of the multiple accident to clinch a sprint finish.