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Cestna golazen

Mutombo

Avtor: Mutombo,
in Telovadba

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At 67 km/h in full descent, Tiesj Benoot collided head-on with a car that was carelessly driving from a parking lot. A crack in his cervical vertebra is by some miracle the only thing he survived. "Luckily I could move my hands and feet immediately. It was only a few micrometres or it would have ended completely differently."

To consolidate his top form from the Clasica San Sebastian, Tiesj Benoot went to Livigno. "I know from experience that with the right focus I can continue that condition until the end of the year. That's why I went to Livigno. Not to train like crazy, but just to prepare well for the last part of the year."

A distracted driver thwarted those plans on Monday. "I was descending and rode on a long straight," Benoot said. "I wasn't even driving that fast. I went to look back, I was doing something like 67 km/hr. Suddenly that car crossed a parking lot. Did he not look or did he think he could cross quickly, I don't know. I hit it full on and could hardly brake. The car door was dented, the mirror was off, the windows were broken...".

Unconscious for a quarter

Benoot was unconscious for a while. "I must have been unconscious for fifteen minutes because when I regained consciousness, the ambulance was already there. I immediately called my friend Fien and told her the location. She quickly arrived at the scene. For a while, I was very blurred, I did not know where I was and how long I had been in Livigno, but fortunately, that came back quickly. I don't remember everything, but I do remember a flash of the car that drove onto the road in front of me. They left me there for a while and then I was taken by helicopter to the hospital. They immediately gave me a shot of morphine, I was pretty drowsy and I was on the monitor. I was lying on my back, so I didn't see much myself, but they took ultrasounds of my organs to see if there was any internal bleeding. Fortunately, that was not the case."

At the hospital, the diagnosis is very double. A broken cervical vertebra sounds very ominous, but at the same time Benoot is relieved: there is no permanent damage. "That was a bit of a shock. My neck felt weird, but I didn't think it was broken. Especially the second cervical vertebra, which is really crucial for the nerves. Fortunately, I could already move my hands and feet on the spot. That was a relief. It was certainly close. A few millimetres or even micrometres and it could have been a completely different story. I have already more or less accepted it. Although I will undoubtedly still be frustrated in the coming days when I see my colleagues racing at home. Actually, I am very grateful and happy that I can still tell the story. I couldn't do anything about it. It is just brutal bad luck and it is part of the risks of the sport because we have to train in traffic. I haven't seen the driver again, but Fien told me he was in quite a shock and immediately felt guilty. He also apologised. In my career so far, I have been spared serious accidents. Let's hope that this is all there is.

Other injuries limited

As if by miracle, the other injuries were limited for Benoot. "There is still a concussion and they had to take glass out of my hip and elbow and those wounds were stitched. I also feel that my ribs are bruised or broken. The doctors didn't tell me anything about that, but I know how that feels and I recognise the pain when I laugh or cough."

Benoot is making the return journey by car today together with his partner Fien and daughter Roos. "I can manage to drive. Fortunately, we have a large and comfortable car. The diagnosis they gave me in Italy is that I have to rest for six to twelve weeks with this brace. I am still young so I hope I can take it off after six weeks. In any case, I will visit doctor Toon Claes in Herentals for a second diagnosis. You never know.

Benoot's season is over. He will not ride this year and will miss the World Championships in Australia. "That is the biggest disappointment of all. I have already ridden some World Cups, but I would have liked the experience in Australia with such a strong team. That the national coach calls me irreplaceable? Those are nice words. The cooperation with Sven has been great for a while now. There is a lot of trust and it is great that he is expressing it now. I have also heard from most of my colleagues, including Wout. Of course, they all ask how things are going and we have a quick chat. That's nice now, they live with us." Benoot can already fully focus on next year. "It's the first time I will experience it, that I can't race in the fall. The winter will be very long, but at the same time it also offers opportunities to work extra on certain points where otherwise there is no time."

 

tipicni tuljoti.... 

ni sans da letos vlacm kulu na dopust 

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Shadow reče pred 1 uro:

Super. Sam se bojim, da bo po 6 etapi ze konc sanj za zmago. 

 

...sem bral kar nekaj predikcij na to temo (še pred uradno potrditvijo) in nekako so bili vsi mnenja, da bi bilo zanj boljše, če izpusti letošnjo Vuelto.

 

eni pravijo, da bo (za njegove standarde) prišel nepripravljen na Vuelto, drugi pravijo, da (spet) poizkuša na silo.

 

je pa Vuelta ravnokar postala še 30% bolj zanimiva. :D

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