Cycling: John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) is working on his comeback after his serious training accident in January. At a press conference in his hometown of Frankfurt yesterday, the 27-year-old announced that he had finally been given the green light to train on his bike. When exactly he will be back in the peloton cannot be predicted at the moment.
The horror accident at Giant-Alpecin is now almost two months ago. On January 23, a seven-man training group with John Degenkolb was traveling in the region around the Spanish town of Calpe when the pros collided head-on with the SUV of a 73-year-old British woman who was driving on the wrong side of the road. As if by a miracle, all drivers survived the crash, but John Degenkolb, among others, was seriously injured. Last year's Paris – Roubaix winner broke his forearm and almost lost his left index finger.
"It took me a long time to come to terms with this difficult situation," Degenkolb admitted frankly yesterday. "I was in great shape and on the right track - shortly afterwards everything was destroyed." As bitter and as bad as such an accident is for every victim, it hit the German particularly hard: After his legendary season with victories at Milan - San Remo and Paris - Roubaix, Degenkolb was highly motivated - all plans were made within seconds then all training was for nothing. "It's hard to understand and comprehend at this moment," said Degenkolb in an emotional voice.
But all the lamentation doesn't help, after all it must and will go on. When exactly the comeback is due is still unclear: “If everything goes normally, I need eight to ten weeks. Maybe I'll be back earlier." In particular, the serious injury to his finger is still causing him problems. Even if an amputation could be averted, numerous operations were necessary to restore the almost severed and completely shattered finger. “The bone of the finger was partially completely destroyed. The doctors reconstructed him using bone fragments from the hip.” At this point in time, no one knows for sure whether full functionality and mobility can be restored.
But we are looking ahead and there are already new goals. "The classic season is over and I will now concentrate on my second big goal, namely the Tour de France." Of course he will follow the upcoming classics in front of the TV screen, even if it will certainly hurt him not to be able to start. When asked who his favorite for Milan – San Remo at the weekend is, Degenkolb immediately had an answer ready: "Even though most people are guessing Michael Matthews, I think Alexander Kristoff does."
Anyway, we're happy to see Dege back on the bike and can't wait for him to get back into racing.
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