Jose Joaquin Rojas shows off gruesome scars from Vuelta a España crash

Movistar rider posted the photos on twitter after surgery following his crash at the Vuelta a España. Warning: graphic content

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Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) has posted photos on twitter showing the scars left by surgery after his crash at the Vuelta a España.

The two photos, above, show his injury a week apart and it appears to be healing well.

The rider crashed into a roadside barrier on stage 20, from Benidorm to Alto de Aitana. As the below video shows, the crash happened at high speed on a descent.

Rojas barely had time to scrub off any speed as he slid out on the bend, before coming into contact with the upright of the barrier.

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The impact split his leg open and exposed his shin bone, as shown by the photo he posted at the time.

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The present Spanish National Champion, Rojas was a key player in Nairo Quintana's overall win at this year's Vuelta, until his untimely exit on the penultimate stage.

Contracted to stay with Movistar until at least the end of 2017, the 31-year-old will need this winter to recover from the horrendous injury before a return to racing next year.

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Jack Elton-Walters hails from the Isle of Wight, and would be quick to tell anyone that it's his favourite place to ride. He has covered a varied range of topics for Cycling Weekly, producing articles focusing on tech, professional racing and cycling culture. He moved on to work for Cyclist Magazine in 2017 where he stayed for four years until going freelance. He now returns to Cycling Weekly from time-to-time to cover racing, review cycling gear and write longer features for print and online.