Northern California triathlete critically injured
Monique Petrov, 39, a California triathlete training for Ironman Hawaii, struck by a minivan and critically injured while riding in San Rafael on September 16. According to friends, Petrov was finishing her final 5-6 hour peak ride before going into her taper for the Ironman World Championship in Kona.
Petrov, who recently moved from Marin to San Rafael, was traveling east on Lucas Valley Road when a minivan turned left onto Canyon Oak Road and struck the cyclist. Petrov was taken to Marin General Hospital where she underwent extensive surgery for a broken arm, a fractured femur, multiple broken vertebrae, a punctured lung, a shattered kneecap and extensive scrapes to her face and body.
Bob Cullinan, editor and publisher of CycleTo.com, said Petrov was training hard to redeem a frustrating injury that forced her to drop out of Ironman Hawaii in 2007. “Two years ago she went to Ironman, was injured, didn’t finish and was crushed,” Cullinan told journalist Jennifer Upshaw. “She was devastated and vowed she would get in better shape and do this.”
Petrov wrote an encouraging note on Twitter yesterday to friends from her hospital bed; “Hi all: thank you for your thoughts & well wishes! Surreal 2 b coming out of this trauma & out of ICU. I have a long road ahead of me.”
Apologies: A previous version of this article incorrectly mentioned that Monica Moreno was a training partner of Monique Petrov and incorrectly cited Moreno as a source for information about the accident.
