Twice fourth overall in the Tour de France, Jurgen Van de Broeck travelled away from the race today using a wheelchair, beginning a journey back to Belgium where he will have an important medical assessment.
The Lotto Belisol team leader fell heavily towards the end of Wednesday’s stage. Although he and his team initially hoped that he would be able to continue, it became increasingly clear that night that it would be impossible.
He spoke to the press yesterday and explained the incident and how he and the team realised that this year’s campaign was over.
“In yesterday’s crash my right knee was hit severely. At first sight I only had some abrasions. But my knee started to swell fast and I couldn’t fold my knee anymore,” he explained. “It turned out there was fluid in my knee. Till half past twelve [Wednesday] night doctor Mathieu and physiotherapist Tim Aerts took care of my knee. They put ice on it to reduce the swelling and did everything they could to raise the mobility.
“I hoped it would be better, but I hardly slept a wink. This morning [Thursday] the doctor has drawn 85 cc of fluid out of my knee and it was almost all blood that came out; not a good sign. Then I had a go on the rollers, but in twenty minutes I wasn’t able to make a full rotation. And then you know that starting isn’t an option.”
Fourth in 2010 and again in 2012, he crashed out in 2011 and again this year. “I guess the odd years aren’t suited for me,” he said with dry humour. “Although it all began very well. The stages on Corsica happened according to a perfect scenario. Tuesday we rode a magnificent team time trial. But yesterday it went wrong. I was slowing down when Bouhanni and Trentin crashed in front of me.”
The crash happened in the finishing sprint when Trentin, the Omega Pharma Quick Step leadout rider, pulled aside and abruptly stopped pedalling. He dropped like a stone through the speeding peloton and Bouhanni ran into the back of him.
Asked if he had to be so close to the sprinters, Van den Broeck said he was worried about splits in the peloton, as had happened in the Volta a Catalunya, and so he was trying to avoid the loss of several seconds by staying closer to the front in the sprint.
He’s unclear as to his programme, but his consultation with doctor Toon Claes in Herentals should give him a better indication as to his injury and the recovery time.
“Now we have to wait in which races I’ll take part the rest of this season. It isn’t sure yet if I’ll ride the Vuelta just like in 2011. First I want to see what the doctor says,” he said.
“When I was forced to abandon two years ago, I watched the race at home, but that was a torture. I don’t know what I will do this time. Today I’ve watched the last eight kilometers from my bed.”
In doing so, he saw Andre Greipel thunder home ahead of Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Marcel Kittel (Argos Shimano) and Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma Quick Step). “On the one hand it hurts that I wasn’t there, but on the other hand it’s nice to see; it’s great for the team and we’ll definitely celebrate this evening.
“The contrast can be big: we were euphoric after the successful team time trial, than it was hell because of my crash and now there’s the joy of the victory of André.”