Gianmarco Garofoli had taken precautions, but his caution was not enough. This Thursday on his Instagram account, the Soudal Quick-Step runner revealed that he had been hit by a car while training the day before. “He came from behind, at full speed, at more than 100 km/h, well beyond the authorized limit,” described the 23-year-old Italian.
However, Garofoli explains that he was “perfectly visible”, equipped with a “neon yellow vest” and a “flashing red light at the back” of his mount. “Despite that, he didn’t slow down, he didn’t swerve, he didn’t do anything. He came up behind me and hit me with his rearview mirror and the front of his car, he recalled. At that moment, I realized that if he had hit me head on, I probably wouldn’t be here today. »
“We leave with a little more fear”
In his misfortune, the transalpine cyclist escaped with minor injuries. No fracture, but numerous hematomas on the left side of the body. Above all, a psychological “shock”. “I felt helpless, fragile, completely at the mercy of something I couldn’t control,” he lamented.
An accident made all the more traumatic because the perpetrator did not stop to help him. “He fled, leaving me on the asphalt as if my life was worth nothing. » Only, on returning to the hotel, Garofoli spotted the car that had hit him, with its broken mirror. He directly notified the “Guardia Civil” and the driver was identified. “Tomorrow we leave again, with a little more fear, but with a lot of gratitude to still be here,” concluded the Italian.
