Some awful news coming out of Mexico after we’re hearing Franz Grossmann ended up in a coma after a sickening crash.

Grossmann was descending a stair set on the race course when he hit his head on the balcony above it. The Austrian was stopped dead and slammed backwards onto the stairs behind him.

As you can see from this snippet of Remy Metailler’s helmet cam, other riders braked strongly before the stairs and rolled down them, but Grossmann seems to gap them slightly leading to the horrible crash. The balcony he hit is circled in red.

According to local reports, the track originally ran along the road but the route was changed to include the stairs to slow down the riders for a jump. Franz had already had two runs down the route but disaster struck on his third attempt. We’re not sure exactly what happened but maybe the white balcony blended into the white background or he was unable to see it under his helmet and goggles.

A recovery fund has been set up for Franz to help him and his family during the recovery period. You can contribute here.

We have now been updated that Franz is in a serious but stable position in a local hospital. We wish him all the best in his recovery and hope to see him healthy and happy again before too long. We’ll update you as soon as possible.