Jan Bakelants has finally spoken about the dramatic experience he had to face three weeks ago when participating at Il Lombardia. Sadly, the Belgian rider is now unsure if he will have the chance to ride again due to several serious injuries he has taken.
The horrifying crash left Bakelants with a broken back as he has also revealed that someone accidentally drove with his motorbike on his leg while he was still receiving the necessary treatment at the place of accident.
“They stretchered me out of the ravine with a broken back. Then someone drove a motorbike over my leg,”- he said.
Some time to reflect
Now, the Ag2r Mondiale rider is back in his home country and has taken all the necessary time to recover and reflect on the latest events that might even make his career come to an end.
“I understand that it was not the easiest conditions to work in. They had to put me on a stretcher, but it wasn’t done gently,” Bakelants said in an interview for Sporza.
“I think I can say I was lucky enough that nothing serious happened after the fall. All the conditions to make it worse were there.
“When I was on the asphalt again someone wanted a moped. The man was not in control, thinking that he had put his vehicle in neutral. But then went straight on and drove over my leg. I think it’s an incredible that this can happen in a WorldTour race.
After the horrifying crash that took place on October 7, Bakelants, 31, was hospitalized in Italy for a few days, before he was transferred back to Belgium.
“I was also surprised that there were no helicopters, the evacuation had to happen with an ambulance. I was very worried, was in shock and had a lot of pain. And I still had to do a lot of descent in the ambulance. It took a long time,”- he added.
