Sunweb development team has said teenage cyclist Edo Maas may never walk again after he fractured his back in a collision with a car at the Piccolo Lombardia race earlier this month.
Maas, 19, was moved to a hospital in Milan with injuries to his face, neck and back after the collision on the Madonna del Ghisallo hill. He underwent a series of intensive surgeries and has since regained consciousness.
"The fracture in his back has led to paraplegia, a loss of nerve feeling in his legs," the German cycling team said in a statement.
"At this moment it remains unlikely that functionality in his legs will ever return, but fighting power and hope prevails."
Sunweb also called upon cycling's governing body UCI to take action and prioritise rider safety.
Maas' collision follows the death of Belgian cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht, 22, who crashed during the third stage of the Tour of Poland in August.