Cycling Star Faces Lengthy Recovery After Training Accident
Just hours after undergoing successful surgery, the cycling superstar emerged from the hospital, giving an exclusive interview despite the intense pain radiating from his injuries. He spoke candidly about his arduous recovery road ahead: a broken right shoulder blade and hand, a fractured rib, bruised lungs, and a dislocated collarbone. “I’m in considerably more pain than after my fall at the Tour of the Basque Country,” he confessed. “Sleep eluded me last night. I woke up around 1 a.m. and couldn’t drift back to sleep. The surgeons did a lot of work, especially on my collarbone. It’s going to be a long road to recovery, and activities will be off-limits for at least the first month. After that, we’ll have a better understanding of the full extent of the damage and plan accordingly.”
A Sudden Collision
Recounting the accident in Oetingen, Flemish Brabant, the athlete described the terrifying split-second event.
“Everything unfolded incredibly fast,” he recalled. “I felt the bpost delivery person open the door, and for a brief moment, I thought I’d managed to avoid the car. But I was catapulted across the road. My hand and shoulder took the brunt of the impact. The adrenaline masked the pain initially, but once it subsided, I knew things were serious.
I sat on the side of the road for 30 or 40 minutes.
Several witnesses reported that the double Olympic champion appeared pale and visibly shaken after the fall.
”
I was a bit disoriented,” he admitted. “Luckily someone quickly provided me with sugar. I tried contacting my family right away, but Oumi wasn’t far, my phone network was down. Thankfully, a passerby managed to reach her through a different network.
It all took an age though. I waited there for what felt like forever, eventually finding myself perched on a café chair, with a Coke generously offered by a local butcher and a blanket for warmth.
”
NoBlame, Only Recovery
Despite the severity of his injuries, he was adamant about not assigning blame to the postal worker involved. “She immediately rushed to help me and even offered her own coat,” he emphasized. “She was clearly upset, but she was simply doing her job. Things move fast in postal service. It was a momentary lapse in attention, an unfortunate incident.”
This incident will undoubtedly be etched into his history – a history, unfortunately, often punctuated by falls since the 2020 Tour of Lombardy.
What is the expected timeline for the cyclist’s recovery and return to professional cycling?
## Interview with Cycling Superstar After Training Accident
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. Today, we’re joined by cycling superstar [Cyclist’s name], who just hours ago underwent successful surgery for injuries sustained in a training accident. [Cyclist’s name], thank you for joining us. I know you must be in a great deal of pain.
**Cyclist:** Thanks for having me. It’s definitely not the way I wanted to be spending the day, but I’m grateful the surgery went well.
**Host:** It’s just a fortunate thing that the surgery went well, and we’re thankful for that. You’ve mentioned you’ve gone through multiple surgeries, including one after the Tour of the Basque Country. How does the pain from this accident compare?
**Cyclist:** Honestly, it’s worse. [[1](https://www.news.com.au/sport/cycling/cycling-champ-suffers-horrific-injuries-during-training-ride/news-story/895fc99642d0e53f73039999c02856f3)]I couldn’t sleep last night because of it. The surgeons did a lot of work on my collarbone, and the pain is pretty intense. [Host:IcanonlyimagineI’mgoingtoneedtosharethatstory[Host:IcanonlyimagineI’mgoingtoneedtosharethatstory[Host:IcanonlyimagineI’mgoingtoneedtosharethatstory[Host:IcanonlyimagineI’mgoingtoneedtosharethatstory
**Host**: Can you walk us through what happened?
**Cyclist:** It all happened so fast. I was training in Oetingen when everything just…changed in a split second. It was a terrifying experience.
**Host:** We understand you’re facing a lengthy recovery. What does that look like going forward?
**Cyclist:** The doctors say it’s going to be a long road. At least the first month will be focused purely on rest and letting things heal. After that, we’ll reassess and see what the next steps are.
**Host:** Hopefully, we’ll see you back on the bike strong and healthy soon. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
**Cyclist:** Thank you.
**Host:** We’ll be following your journey closely, announcing updates on social media and on the show.
