2023-09-20 22:42:11
The sad news fell this Wednesday. In a succinct press release, published on social networks, Jumbo-Visma announced that its rider Nathan Van Hooydonck was going to see his career end, as brutally as prematurely.
Victim of feeling unwell while driving his car last week on a road in Belgium, the cyclist caused an accident while his pregnant partner was at his side. After a week of hospitalization, the former Espoir champion was finally able to return home. The news was then reassuring.
But medical examinations carried out following this illness revealed that he suffered from a heart muscle abnormality which required the installation of an internal defibrillator. If his life no longer seems in danger, the man who was on the roads of the Tour de France at the start of summer to help his leader Jonas Vingegaard win the Grande Boucle, will however not be able to continue his career.
“I realize that I had incredible luck,” confides Van Hooydonck in the press release published by his team. Things might have turned out differently if I hadn’t received good help so quickly. I’m fine now, but I still have to get used to the fact that this marks the end of my professional career. I would like to express my gratitude to the people who helped me, the medical team at the hospital and all the fans who sent me messages. I will now focus on my recovery and my upcoming fatherhood. Everything is going well with Alicia and the pregnancy, and we are looking forward to the birth. This really helps me now. »
The Belgian runner will celebrate his 28th birthday in a few weeks, on October 12.
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