Two days after competing in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, 22-year-old Belgian Leander Van Hautegem found himself unconscious in a ditch after a heavy crash in training on Tuesday.
A ranger discovered the Flanders-Baloise rider, who had suffered a severe concussion, a collapsed lung and broken ribs after coming off his bike in the Koppenberg Forest.
“More bad luck for Team Flanders-Baloise,” the team wrote in a press release. “After a serious crash during training, Leander Van Hautegem was transported to Ghent University Hospital. The unfortunate Kluisbergen resident suffered a severe concussion, a collapsed lung, and two cracked ribs. Get well soon, Leander!”
For concerned friends and fans, Van Hautegem offered concise reassurance via an Instagram story, writing simply: “I’m ok.”
And research out of Melbourne’s Monash University into bicycle crashes in 2019 found that half of bike injuries were sustained during solo-rides, involving no other vehicles.
