‘I’m Going to Die’: Damien Touzé Opens Up About Life-Threatening Tour of Oman Crash

There is a specific kind of terror that comes when a professional athlete realizes their body is failing them in a way that training cannot fix. For Cofidis rider Damien Touzé, that moment arrived in February during the Tour of Oman, following a crash that nearly cost him his life.

In a raw account of the aftermath, the 29-year-old Frenchman detailed the harrowing hours where internal injuries went unnoticed, his health plummeted, and he was forced to say goodbye to his family.

“I had the feeling I was fading,” Touzé said in an interview with L’Equipe. “Something wasn’t right.”

The First Phone Call

The crash was severe, leaving Touzé with a litany of traumatic injuries. He suffered fractures to his pelvis and femur, along with ligament damage in his knee and significant abdominal trauma. Yet, the most lethal threats—a perforated intestine and a ruptured spleen—were not immediately identified.

Shortly after the incident, gripped by a sense of impending death, Touzé called his partner. The words he spoke are a haunting reminder of the risks inherent in professional cycling: “I’m going to die. Share our son I love him.”

For many fans, the speed and violence of pro cycling crashes are a known variable, but the subsequent medical struggle Touzé faced was a different kind of battle entirely.

A Failure of Care

Touzé’s experience in the immediate aftermath of the crash was marked by what he describes as inadequate medical facilities and missed diagnoses. He recalls that the initial hospital he was taken to lacked the proper equipment to perform the scans necessary to find internal bleeding or organ damage.

“They stitched my thigh, but that was it,” Touzé said. He noted that while the staff seemed worried, no one could provide him with a clear explanation of his condition. As the hours passed, his situation deteriorated rapidly; his heart rate remained elevated and he developed a sharp fever.

The environment only added to the trauma. Touzé described being placed in a ward near bins where “flies were everywhere,” stating that it did not feel like a place conducive to recovery.

The Intervention

The trajectory of Touzé’s survival shifted thanks to the persistence of a Cofidis team doctor who stayed by his side. While the local facility focused on the visible fractures and lacerations, the team doctor remained skeptical of the diagnosis and the quality of care.

“She didn’t trust what had been done,” Touzé said. The doctor eventually told him bluntly that he might not wake up.

Faced with this stark assessment, Touzé made a second call to his partner. Though he initially resisted, his partner insisted he speak with her. This time, the conversation was a final farewell.

A subsequent transfer to another hospital finally revealed the truth: a ruptured spleen. This discovery allowed for the critical interventions needed to stabilize him and begin the long process of recovery.

A Pattern of Peril

Touzé’s ordeal is not an isolated incident of near-fatality within his team. He is the second Cofidis rider in a short span to face a life-threatening race accident, following Nicolas Debeumarché, who suffered a similar brush with death during the 2024 Tour de Pologne.

The 2026 Tour of Oman now carries a “dark shadow” due to the severity of the Frenchman’s injuries and the narrow margin by which he survived. For the cycling community, the story serves as a grim reminder of the necessity for high-standard medical protocols at pro races, regardless of the location.

To understand the scale of the trauma, consider the combination of injuries Touzé had to overcome:

• Skeletal: Fractured femur and pelvis.
• Soft Tissue: Ligament damage in the knee.
• Internal: Perforated intestine and ruptured spleen.

For those following the recovery of professional cyclists, these accounts highlight that the danger doesn’t always end when the rider crosses the guardrail or hits the pavement; often, the most critical fight happens in the hours that follow.

Damien Touzé’s journey from a hospital bed surrounded by flies to sharing his story is a testament to both medical persistence and personal resilience. While the physical scars of the Oman crash will remain, the emotional weight of those phone calls will likely linger much longer.

Further updates on Touzé’s return to competition and his rehabilitation progress are expected as he continues to recover from these extensive injuries. You can find more detailed reports on the incident via CyclingUpToDate.

What are your thoughts on the medical safety standards at international cycling events? Let us understand in the comments below.