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Monday, July 11, 2011

Talking about a tough guy....


A French TV car swerved into the five man break up front sending Vacansoleil's Johnny Hoogerland somersaulting off the road and into a barbed wire fence.


Hoogerland finished the stage, claimed his KOM Jersey on the podium and even did some interviews before getting 33 stitches to repair the damage.


















Hoogerland comments:
“We can be happy that we’re alive. It’s horrible,” said Hoogerland. “I can blame everyone but I don’t think anyone does this sort of thing on purpose. I think the people in the car will have a very big guilty feeling and they will surely apologize to me and Flecha…I have three cuts that are about seven centimetres long and quite deep too. I’ll go to the hospital now and I think I’ll need about 30 stitches at least.

“I did what felt like a few somersaults. I don’t know where the car came from. Before I knew it, Flecha was on the ground and there was nothing I could do. I landed on the fence and I looked at my legs and thought, ‘Is this what cycling is about?’ I have the polka-dot jersey but I’m going to spend the rest day in a lot of pain.”