French professional cyclist Thibault Guernalec has spoken out about the inherent risks associated with life as a professional cyclist after admitting he came “within a hair’s breadth of being in a wheelchair” following a high-speed head-on collision with a motorist during a training ride last week.
The 28-year-old, who has spent his entire professional career with the soon-to-be-defunct Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, was riding in his home region of Brittany on Thursday when he was hit by an oncoming driver on a slight downhill, the latest in an increasingly long list of pro cyclists to be injured in collisions involving motorists in recent months.
Guernalec, who says he doesn’t remember anything about the crash, suffered fractures to his lower back and finger, as well as concussion and a broken eye, his team confirmed at the weekend.
Speaking to Le Télégramme the day after the crash, Guernalec – who broke his femur in 2020 while trying to avoid a motorist who drove through a stop sign – admitted that he was able to “walk a little” but was still “feeling a bit faint” during his stay in hospital in Rennes.
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“What scares me is that I don’t remember anything,” he told the Brittany-based newspaper. “I don’t remember going for a ride, I don’t remember texting my loved ones before hitting the road. I don’t remember the accident either.
“All I can think of is my speedometer, which says I was going 50kph on a slight downhill. For almost four hours after that, it’s a complete blank. I have no recollection whatsoever. Nothing.
“What’s astonishing is that I didn’t lose consciousness. I came to during the CT scan at the hospital. Even now, I’m still wondering what I’m doing here. I haven’t quite grasped what happened. It feels like I didn’t experience it at all. It’s really strange to talk about this. But it’s been a huge blow.”
When asked about another training crash in June, which prevented him from taking part in his first ever Tour de France, Guernalec said: “Honestly, it’s completely unrelated. That was a bike fall. It was just bad luck, it didn’t affect my health. When you know the cause, it’s also easier to accept the consequences. Since my fall in June, I’d completely moved on. And then, you break a hand, an ankle, or a leg, sure.
“But a vertebra, that’s practically the spinal cord… This time, it’s a whole different ball game. I came within a hair’s breadth of being in a wheelchair. I know you can have an accident every day while driving, but this is serious. If you saw my helmet…”
Thibault Guernalec, men’s time trial, 2024 world championships, Zurich (credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Guernalec, who Le Télégramme reports is expected to join another French team, TotalEnergies, with Arkéa-B&B Hotels set to fold at the end of the year, says he is currently unsure what the lasting effects of the crash will be, or when he will be able to get back on his bike.
However, the 28-year-old says the crash has made him reflect on his sport and the inherent dangers associated with cycling on the road
“First, there will be six weeks without anything, even getting in a car is going to be difficult,” he said. “I hope to be home by Monday at the latest. As for the rest, I have no idea. The doctors can’t tell me. It’s too early. As I said, I was able to walk a little, which is somewhat reassuring.
“In any case, it makes you think about our sport, its dangers, and the risks of this profession. Right now, I don’t really want to talk about the future; we’ll see.
“When I’ve calmed down, I might have a different perspective, I don’t know. Right now, I’m in a pretty bad way.”
Guernalec’s collision with a motorist came in the same week Lorena Wiebes revealed that she had been struck from behind by a hit-and-run driver while riding her e-mountain bike at home in the Netherlands, adding to the ever-increasing catalogue of pro cyclists involved in driver-related crashes this year.
“For the person who hit me and didn’t stop – luckily I’m quite okay but this could be way worse, especially because I got hit from the back,” the five-time Tour de France Femmes stage winner posted on Instagram, alongside a photo of her damaged bike.
Lorena Wiebes hit and run (credit: Lorena Wiebes/Instagram)
“Thanks to the two [people] who stopped to check I’m okay. Also more frustrated if you see how many cyclists get killed by cars.”
Earlier this month, Belgian cyclocross champion Marion Norbert Riberolle required stitches for a deep leg wound and warned drivers to “be careful” after she was struck by a motorist during a training ride.
In October, former Tour de France white jersey winner Pierre Latour was denied the opportunity to finish his career on his own terms after being hit by a lorry driver’s rear-view mirror while training for what would have been his final race.
And in June, Visma-Lease a Bike rider Cian Uijtdebroeks said he was “hit hard” by a motorist during a training ride, leaving him hospitalised. Though he escaped without sustaining any serious injuries, the 22-year-old called on motorists to “pay attention to vulnerable road users”, telling them: “If you don’t, you’re playing with lives”.