Not for the squeamish, perhaps
In his own words, Philippe Gilbert “had a lucky escape” following his crash at the Tour de France on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Quick Step Floors rider lost control of his bike during a descent of the Col de Portet d’Aspet during Stage 16. He then collided with a road-side wall, the impact throwing him head-first into a ravine.
While some viewers feared the worst, the Belgian reemerged, offered a thumbs-up to a cameraman, and continued on his way, completing the final 60km of the stage.
CRASH! @PhilippeGilbert can't regain control of his bike, disappears over roadside barrier and flies into the undergrowth in the middle of this descent. He re-emerges moments later and bravely returns to the saddle. #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/nmj0KzK55K
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 24, 2018
Unfortunately for him, however, it later emerged that he’d not be able to continue. A check-up in hospital revealed he’d actually broken his kneecap in the crash and would not be able to play any further part in this year’s Tour.
Thank you all for the support after yesterday’s crash. I have done everything I could to continue in @LeTour, but unfortunately it’s not longer possible with a fracture of the patella. As always I will come back stonger! #TourDePhil #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/FVobfmxhfz
— Philippe Gilbert (@PhilippeGilbert) July 25, 2018
Having vowed to come back stronger from the setback, he later posted an image which made clear the extent of his injury. Tweeting a picture of both of his legs, the severe swelling around his left knee was obvious – making us all wonder how exactly he managed to continue for another 60km.
When you have a broken knee cap and decide to keep going for another 60km 🤕 pic.twitter.com/cGoidtQH3w
— Philippe Gilbert (@PhilippeGilbert) July 25, 2018
Although not nice to look at, it’s quite obvious that things could have been much, much worse for Gilbert.
