Jonas Vingegaard has referred to as into query in-race concussion protocols, following his expertise with a head damage at Paris-Good this March.
The 2-time Tour de France winner crashed with 84km to go on stage 5 of the race and rode to the end line, however deserted forward of the subsequent day’s begin. He’s but to compete within the two months since.
Talking in a press convention on Monday, Vingegaard mentioned he was not instantly checked for concussion in the course of the race, and “actually undergo[ed]” with the aftermath of the damage.
“I went to the race physician as a result of I had some blood on my face – I used to be bleeding – however they by no means as soon as checked me for concussion, which I discover a bit odd, to be sincere,” he mentioned.
“It was seen that my glasses had been damaged, I had blood on my face, I even had just a little little bit of blood right here on the eyebrow. For me, that was a bit odd that they didn’t examine me for concussion.”
In line with the UCI’s concussion protocol, riders ought to endure a right away evaluation after a ‘potential concussive occasion’; as a part of this, medical employees are advised to search for ‘pink flags’, similar to lack of consciousness and vomiting, in addition to lesser ‘observable indicators’ together with facial accidents. The rider’s workforce employees are anticipated to take applicable motion when race medical doctors will not be out there.
Vingegaard’s crash at Paris-Good got here whereas he was main the overall classification. After the stage, his teammate, Victor Campenaerts mentioned the Dane complained of “dizziness – I didn’t get the impression that he was very lucid”.
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Now trying again, Vingegaard described the incident as “possibly essentially the most silly crash that I’ve ever had”.
“We had been going uphill, and one man in entrance of me overlapped the wheel and went in entrance of me and I couldn’t do something. We had been principally simply going 10-15kph. I couldn’t do something, so I crashed straight on my face,” he mentioned.
The severity of the damage then turned clear within the days that adopted.
“Once I had been awake for about an hour or so, I needed to sleep for about an hour and a half for the primary three, 4 days,” the 28-year-old defined. “I did have a concussion, and I used to be actually affected by it at the beginning. Daily it was getting just a little bit higher.
“By Monday, I used to be considering I might strive get on the bike once more, only one hour of a restoration journey, which backfired just about. Afterwards, I used to be fully dizzy and nauseous. I needed to go lay down and sleep once more, after which I didn’t contact my bike for the subsequent 4 days.”
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Trying forward, Vingegaard mentioned he wish to see extra concerted in-race assessments for concussions.
“I feel as quickly as anyone has one thing throughout the shoulders and above that’s seen, and also you see that they hit one thing there, they need to examine them for concussion earlier than they allow them to [continue],” he mentioned.
“After all, possibly the medical automotive was not there but [in my case], however as soon as I am going to the medical automotive, they need to as least examine me once they can see that I hit my face.”
The previous Tour de France champion is at the moment at a coaching camp in Sierra Nevada, Spain, constructing kind in the direction of the Tour de France.
Having solely accomplished 10 race days this season, he’ll subsequent compete on the Critérium du Dauphiné, earlier than returning to altitude in Tignes, France forward of the Tour.
An absence of racing, he mentioned, has solely given him “much more motivation” for his upcoming targets.
“I do know at this second that I’m not on my finest degree but, however that’s what I’m right here [in Sierra Nevada] for,” he mentioned. “Hopefully I could be even higher than I’ve ever been earlier than. If I’m higher than I’ve ever been earlier than, I’m fairly positive that then I can at the very least combat for the victory within the Tour de France.”
Whereas the French Grand Tour stays his “primary objective”, Vingegaard may even journey the Vuelta a España later this 12 months. After that, a senior debut on the UCI World Championships in Rwanda is “in my head”, he mentioned, however not but confirmed.
