Mauricio Soler update 2

Movistar doctor Alfredo Zuniga says that Mauricio Soler's condition is "being favourable" but that the next 48 hours are crucial following the crash on Thursday which has left him in hospital with severe brain injuries.

"The news today is good... the cerebral edema [fluid on the brain], which is the most worrying thing, has gone through a slight improvement and that's why we have to stay optimistic, even though we have to keep reservations because recovery in such processes is unpredictable," he added. The 28-year-old Columbian, one of the best climbers in the world, remains in an induced coma in hospital in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Leopard-Trek's Wouter Weylandt
died while descending the Passo
del Bocco on the Giro d'Italia.

According to The Independent newspaper, police are not yet able to say if they'll be involved in the inquest to come. However, there have been calls for the professional cycling world to improve rider safety following the death of Wouter Weylandt in a high speed crash during last month's Giro d'Italia; suggesting that should any indication of negligence be found, a criminal investigation will begin. This would be welcomed - although cycling is a very dangerous sport and nobody reaches professional level without being well aware of that, the high speeds attained by today's riders requires the UCI and other organisers to constantly strive towards improving the safety of riders and fans. There is no indication that this has not been the case and a majority would agree that their performance is admirable in this area - as demonstrated by their repeated attempts to make helmets mandatory in racing, despite vociferous opposition from the riders themselves - and prosecution would be highly unlikely, but if it turned up hitherto overlooked areas in which improvements could be made then it would be worthwhile.

Meanwhile, SaxoBank-Sungard's Baden Cooke has described the crash, which he saw taking place. "All of a sudden there was a footpath with a 5cm edge dropping down to the road level, he had no time to brake at all," says the Australian, 32. Soler then struck a spectator before hitting a metal fence. "The fence did not move at all, so Soler took the full impact." The spectator got away with "superficial" injuries.

"The progress of his pneumothorax has been good," explains Zuniga. "He also has multiple injuries and fractures, but the thing the doctors are more focused on now is the edema."