Bend, Ore. — Team Type 1’s Ben Brooks is hospitalized in stable condition following a violent crash Wednesday during the opening stage of the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Ore.

 

The 29-year-old Australian fell victim to one of a half dozen cattle guard crossings along the 83-mile (133.5 km) Prineville Road Race. A cattle guard is a series of parallel metal bars installed in the road to deter cattle and other hoofed animals from crossing. The gaps between the bars are wide enough for an animal’s legs to fall through.

 

Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said riders who witnessed the crash told him the cattle guard sent Brooks into a spin that catapulted him off his bicycle as the 150-rider field was traversing a mostly flat, but twisting, section before a descent about 50 miles (80 km) into the race.

 

“They had to be going about 60 kilometers and hour (37 mph) and it was single-file, full gas at the time,” Beamon said.

 

A rescue squad rushed Brooks to a local hospital.

 

“He is at an excellent facility with excellent care and his condition is stable,” Beamon said. “We are just reaching out now for good thoughts and prayers. We are fairly confident he will be OK.”

 

Brooks’s wife, Rachael, was en route to Bend Wednesday night, Beamon said.

 

Team Type 1 is a first-year professional squad that created in 2004 by two riders with Type 1 diabetes to inspire people living with diabetes to take a proactive approach to managing their health and overcoming the obstacles often associated with the condition. Brooks is not one of the four racers on Team Type 1’s pro team that has Type 1 diabetes.

 

Team Type 1’s Christopher Jones finished fourth in the stage that ended with a climb up to Pilot Butte State Park. Jones was joined by teammate Glen Chadwick in an 11-man break that was away most of the day. Santiago Botero (Rock Racing) won the stage.