Bettini’s plane crashes into Pozzato on Italian beach.

//Bettini’s plane crashes into Pozzato on Italian beach.

Bettini’s plane crashes into Pozzato on Italian beach.

Pozzato moments before disaster.

Filippo Pozzato’s long season of woe and misfortune continued yesterday in bizarre fashion.

While sunning himself on the beach on the Tuscan coast of Italy, the injured classics star was hit by an ultra-light aircraft that crashed into the sand.

Strangely enough the man in the passenger seat of the experimental aircraft was none other than Italian National team coach Paolo Bettini.

While Bettini suffered only an inconsequential injury to his leg, Pozzato took the brunt of the crashing plane. He was rushed to a hospital with lacerations over his entire body and worse, a piece of the propeller had lodged itself in his back, right in the middle of his “Only God Can Judge Me” tattoo.

While initial news reports had Bettini and pilot making an emergency landing in the sea near Piombino, in the province of Livorno, later information made it clear that they had hit the beach — and more specifically, Pozzato.

The Italian coach was overwhelmed with guilt and shocked at the odd turn of events. “I am beyond words. How can this happen? I know Filippo has had a hard year but now this. I had hoped to have him ready for Copenhagen but I was not the pilot,” said Bettini. “When I saw him below, laying on the beach, I said ‘turn Luigi, turn, but it was too late.'”

Pozzato’s Katusha team, showed little sympathy for the oft-injured and hard-luck Italian. “It is his own fault. We suggested another beach and a different day. He did not listen to us,” said team manager Andre Tchmil. “In any case, he should have been training, not working on his tan.

WHen reached for comment at the hospital, Pozzato could only shake his head. “Why don’t these things happen to Gilbert? Even Boonen has better luck than me,” said Pozzato. “The scars are of no importance and thankfully my legs are okay. But the propeller in my back is a concern. Doctors tell me the procedure is complicated.”

Twisted SPoke wishes this classics hard-man a speedy recovery from the his luck.

By |2019-02-03T16:16:00-08:00August 31st, 2011|Uncategorized|6 Comments

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6 Comments

  1. Ricola September 1, 2011 at 1:07 am - Reply

    Hahahah a great Twisted post once again! It is good to read a post like this while enjoying the first cup of today's coffee. Thanks once again! 😉

    • TwistedSpoke September 1, 2011 at 10:45 am - Reply

      Ricola, Twisted Spoke is the place for cycling comedy and commentary. Matt

  2. Higgins September 1, 2011 at 9:20 am - Reply

    At least they had a soft landing. I wonder whether that propeller will be permitted in time trials, lets hope there isn't too much of a cross-wind..

    • Kimmi September 1, 2011 at 10:35 am - Reply

      In an emergency session the UCI has banned back-propellers and porn mustaches.

      • TwistedSpoke September 1, 2011 at 10:46 am

        Kimmi, I'm fine with the propeller ban, but porn mustaches, too? Matt

    • TwistedSpoke September 1, 2011 at 10:45 am - Reply

      It's a delicate proceedure to remove it and he may decide to just live with it. Matt

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