My Blog

What a guy!

July 11, 2011

Have you been following the Tour de France? If you have, you may have been just as shocked as I was when I saw how two riders at high speed were knocked of their bicycles by a reckless car driver.

Johnny Hoogerland, from the Netherlands, made a horrifying tumble and got tangled up in a barbed wire fence. After some people got him out, he jumped back on his bike and he made it to the finish. In the process he re-gained the polka dot jersey, being the best climber in the mountain stages.

His injures were so severe that after the finish he had to be taken to a hospital where he received 33 stitches, some of them in awkward places.

And here comes the really interesting part. Johnny did not complain, did not wine and made no accusations. His comment: Oh well, the guy didn't do it on purpose.

Leaving the Tour? Of course not, he continues to compete and he wants to defend his jersey the best way he can.

Clearly he's a tough guy and a sports character of exceptional quality. If he had been a soccer player he probably would have complained to no end. But cyclists are generally tough. I remember in the 1970's when Eddy Merckx rode half a Tour with a broken jaw. In history there are many tales of riders that suffered injuries and battled extreme fatigue but never gave up. Now in my book Johnny Hoogerland can be added to that list.

Way to go Johnny, I wish you the best of luck and as from yesterday you are my favorite rider.