Milan Menten saw the crash of seriously injured American rider Caudell up close: 'I plan to see a mental coach'

Modern Adventure, the team of 19-year-old rider Ezra Caudell—who suffered a serious crash in the Philadelphia Classic—has posted a second update on Instagram. The American team, led by George Hincapie and his brother, has thanked everyone for their messages of support and would like to offer support to Milan Menten, the Belgian rider from Lotto-Intermarché who was also involved in the crash.

Caudell crashed into a lamppost at high speed and was subsequently rushed to the hospital. “Ezra is still in the hospital and is receiving active treatment for the multi-system trauma he sustained in his crash during the Philadelphia Cycling Classic,” the team said in an initial statement. The 19-year-old rider suffered damage to multiple organs.

On Friday, Modern Adventure shared a second update. “Both Ezra’s family and the entire Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team are immensely grateful for all the support they have received following the injuries he sustained last weekend during the Philadelphia Cycling Classic. We understand the desire for more information about the situation, but in sensitive circumstances such as these, we also respect the privacy and wishes of both the rider and the families involved.”

"Ezra is currently receiving medical treatment, and his family is by his side. In accordance with the wishes of the Caudell family, the team will share further updates on his condition in due course. Until then, we respectfully ask that you grant them the privacy and space they need during this difficult time, and that you respect the fact that we will only share information when and if it is appropriate," the team said.

"We have reached out to Milan Menten to offer our support and express our understanding of the difficult circumstances surrounding this incident. We will continue to address this situation together with Ezra's family, teammates, and friends, and support one another in the process," Modern Adventure said on Friday.

Menten spoke to HLN about the crash. “About halfway through the race, Ezra and I wanted to break away and join the lead group. We were ten meters away from the last rider when he looked back to see how big our lead was over the peloton. Unfortunately, that threw Ezra off balance, and his front wheel hit the curb or landed in a storm drain. His front wheel broke, and he crashed head-on into a lamppost. He took me down with him.”

"I was in a lot of pain myself, but I could tell right away that it was serious: he just wasn't moving anymore. It took a long time for help to arrive, because there were practically no fans on that stretch of the course," said the Belgian cyclist. “Suddenly, a woman came running toward us. She was a doctor and was able to move him safely. It wasn’t until much later that we were taken to the hospital by ambulance.”

Menten had already been in contact with Caudell's team. “He’s not doing very well. He’s stable, but his lungs and bones have been severely affected. On top of that, they’re particularly concerned about the damage to his brain. They won’t be able to provide a real update until they bring him out of the induced coma. I hope for him and his family that everything turns out all right.”

"This is the first time I've experienced something like this up close. I plan to see a mental coach to talk about this," Menten told HLN. "Physically, I'm doing pretty well. I suffered whiplash and a ligament was also affected, but other than that, I was very lucky—especially when I see how Ezra is doing."