The terrible collective fall which marked the Tour of the Basque Country last week is not about to be forgotten by the peloton. One of his main victims, the Belgian cyclist Steff Cras, indicates that he “came close to death”, as reported by the newspaper The last hour.
The TotalEnergies climber suffers from a right pneumothorax, rib fractures and two vertebral rib fractures. Seriously injured during the 4th stage, alongside cycling stars Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, he delivers a chilling testimony.
“ I was scared of my life because I couldn’t breathe for thirty seconds. I only had one functioning lung left. I came close to death. I understood when I saw the concrete block [en bordure de la route] that within 20 centimeters, I would be dead. Honestly, I was very lucky. » »
Already unhappy during the 2023 Tour de France
Eleventh in the last Tour of Spain, Steff Cras (28 years old) left the San Sebastian hospital on Monday and must undergo new examinations this Tuesday at the Herentals hospital (Belgium), as stated The last hour.
The leader of TotalEnergies remembers being catapulted “like a football by another runner”, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who was also forced to abandon, but who did not suffer any fractures. The Belgian hopes to be restored in time for the Tour de France (June 29 to July 21), which he had to abandon after falling last year, sent to the ground by a spectator too far along the road.