The 23-year-old Garofoli has been driving for Soudal Quick-Step since last season, after two years at Astana. Garofoli excelled among the juniors and promises, and finished ninth at the European Cycling Championships last year. Garofoli is currently on an internship in Spain and things went seriously wrong there on Wednesday.
“Today I am struggling to find the right words. These photos tell the story of a moment that has marked me more than I can explain,” the Italian climber wrote on Instagram. “I was hit by a driver who was driving along. He came from behind, at full speed, well over 100 km/h, well above the legal limit. I was perfectly visible: I was wearing a bright yellow sleeveless vest and had a flashing red tail light on. Yet he did not slow down, did not swerve, did nothing. He appeared behind me and hit me with the wing mirror and the front of the car.”
This can also be seen in the photos of Garofoli, who encountered the perpetrator at his hotel after his fall.
“At that moment I realized that if he had hit me full on, I probably wouldn’t be here today. After the impact I felt powerless, vulnerable, completely at the mercy of something I had no control over. But the worst thing was not just the collision: it was that he didn’t stop. He drove away and left me there on the asphalt, as if my life was worth nothing. It just so happened that, still in shock and walking back to the hotel, I saw a white Seat that exactly matched the car that had me The mirror was broken, the same mirror I had picked up from the ground a few minutes earlier. They immediately called the Guardia Civil.
The teammate of Tim Merlier and co ultimately escaped with abrasions, so no fractures. “But something is broken inside,” he continues. “I share this not to provoke, but to show how vulnerable we are on the road, and how one second, one wrong decision, can change a life. Today it is. Tomorrow I will start again, with a little more fear, but with enormous gratitude that I am still here.”
