Cyclist Nathan Van Hooydonck regains consciousness after car crash, teammates told
Cyclist Jonas Vingegaard has announced that his teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck has regained consciousness following a car crash. The Flemish rider had been taken to hospital on Tuesday morning and placed in an induced coma, from which he has now woken.
"This morning we got terrible news and I wanted to win for my best friend," Vingegaard said after winning the 16th stage of the Vuelta de España on Tuesday. "Fortunately there is good news about his condition now. It's a big relief for me and the whole team. Hopefully he will recover well."
The Jumbo Visma riders received the news during the race. "At the start of the last climb we were told that Nathan was awake," said teammate Attila Valter. "The team told us that he was more or less OK, I hope these reports are correct."
"It's a big relief for me and the whole team. Hopefully he will recover well"
"The race was an afterthought for a while," added Wilco Kelderman. "We got the sad news from our team managers just before the start. It was very intense. Especially just before the start of a stage."
With his victory, Vingegaard is now second in the standings, 29 seconds behind teammate Sepp Kuss. The last grand tour of the cycling season ends on Sunday.
#FlandersNewsService | Vingegaard celebrates winning stage 16 of the 2023 Vuelta © PHOTO MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP
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