Horror fall for Dutch cyclist in women's road race

Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten suffered a sickening fall at high speed as she was leading the women's cycling road race at the Rio Olympics on Sunday.

Initial TV images showed the 33-year-old motionless after the fall, which came on the final descent of the 137 kilometres (85 miles) race.

But Dutch chef de mission Maurits Hendriks said van Vleuten was conscious and had been taken to hospital.

"She's in the ambulance and fully conscious," Hendriks said.

Van Vleuten skidded on a sharp right-hand bend and flipped forward over her handlebars, plunging head-first into the road and kerb.

The crash happened on the Vista Chinesa, the same descent where the leaders of the men's race wiped out on Saturday with Italy's Vincenzo Nibali suffering a broken collarbone and Colombia's Sergio Henao breaking his pelvis.

Australia's Richie Porte broke a shoulder blade on the same section of the course during the penultimate descent on Saturday.

th/rcw