Saxo Bank veteran hit the tarmac in a freak accident that harks back to last year
Saxo Bank’s Jens Voigt suffered from a real sense of déjà vu today as he hit the road hard on a mountain descent for the second Tour in succession. The 38-year-old German crossed the summit of the Col de Peyresourde, the first climb of today’s stage, ready to put in another day’s service for team leader Andy Schleck when the freak accident occurred.
”I'm doing 70 kilometer an hour on the first descent when my front tire explodes,” Voigt explained. “Before I hit the asphalt I actually manage to think that ‘this is going to hurt’. Both knees, elbows, hands, shoulders and the entire left side of my body were severely hurt. My ribs are hurting but hey, broken ribs are overrated anyway.”
Despite being in considerable discomfort the German continued the stage, climbing three more high mountain passes, finishing with the sprinters 34’48” behind stage winner Pierrick Fédrigo (Bbox Bouyges Telecom).
“Fortunately, I didn't land on my face this time and I'm still alive,” he joked. “I was however offered a ride on the truck that picks up abandoned riders but I'm not going to quit another Tour de France. Now, there's a rest day and Paris is not that far away.”
In last year’s Tour de France Voigt’s Tour ended prematurely on stage 16, after a crash on the descent of the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard. His front wheel inexplicably lost traction and he hit the road face first; the TV camera bike was right behind him and provided one of the most disturbing incidents of recent Tours.
He lost consciousness and suffered a broken cheekbone and concussion forcing him to leave the race in an ambulance.
This time around the tough veteran expects to make it to Paris, although how much help he can be to Schleck in the coming stages is unclear.