French cyclist Arnaud Demare has been released from hospital 24 hours after his freakish crash during the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia.
The Vini Zabu-KTM rider suffered a broken nose along with multiple cuts and bruises, and was being tested for a suspected broken back, after he and teammate Etienne van Empel both collided with the roadside barriers after completing the stage.
Team boss Andrea Citracca claimed a broadcasting helicopter was flying too low and caused the barriers to blow into the path of the duo, but Italian media reports RAI, the Italian broadcaster of the race, denies the aircraft was to blame.
Race organisers RCS Sport said the broadcaster was at fault.
The crash will be investigated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) along with the Professional Cyclists' Association (CPA).
"We will be at his side to get justice after what happened yesterday at the Giro. CPA has requested an investigation on what happened to the UCI. These kind of accidents are intolerable," the CPA said on Twitter.
The announcement came a week after UCI boss David Lappartient said the governing body will study all crashes during the 2021 season in a bid to improve rider safety.
There have been some horrific crashes in cycling this year, the most notable came in August when Fabio Jakobsen somersaulted over the barriers and collided with a photographer and race official after he was pushed by a rival near the finish line.
While Citracca claims the barriers were not tied up properly, a source told BBC Sport an "external factor" may have moved them as there was "little or no wind at the moment" they blew into the direction of the cyclists.
On Thursday (NZ time) Vini Zabu-KTM confirmed Demare would return home and "his smile is our most important win".
Thursday's fifth stage was won by Filippo Ganna, while Portugal's João Almeida remains in the leader's jersey.
