Bloodied‚ but unbowed: Injured Stransky updates fans on Twitter

The bloody face of rugby hero Joel Stransky has been doing the rounds on social media.

The 1995 Rugby World Cup star was riding the Absa Cape Epic with former Sharks player Jeremy Thompson. About 10km into Sunday's Prologue stage he crashed.

Despite some serious injuries he kept the public up to date about this condition. He had sustained bad cuts to his face‚ a broken rib and a punctured lung. But he said‚ on Twitter‚ that surgery to treat them had gone well.

Thompson said they had agreed that he would ride ahead and navigate "a section of woopdy woops". Then he heard Stransky crash behind him.

"I was not sure it was him but then I realised it must be and I stopped and ran back to him. By the time I got there he was lying under a bush at the side of the track and other riders had stopped and were cradling his head in their arms‚" said Thompson.

"He had a really bad gash under his right eye and I think he must have been concussed. It would have been irresponsible to carry on and there was no way the medics were going to let him carry on even though he was keen to ride on."

- TMG Digital/The Times