Degenkolb and Giant-Alpecin teammates 'lucky to be alive' says agent

Image 1 of 6

John Degenkolb and his Giant-Alpecin teammates are lucky to be alive the German rider’s agent Jorg Werner said.

According to the German SID news agency, Werner has spoken to the Paris-Roubaix winner and confirmed he and German teammate Max Walscheid will be moved to the Hamburg Trauma Hospital for further treatment.

Degenkolb, Walscheld, Chad Haga, Fredrik Ludvigsson, Ramon Sinkeldam and Warren Barguil were all taken to hospital after they were hit by a vehicle while training in Calpe, Spain on Saturday.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Haga was airlifted to hospital, suffering from neck and facial injuries and has an orbital fracture which needs surgery. His mother revealed the details of his injuries on Facebook, saying: “Chad’s first surgery to repair veins and arteries is done. There were no tendons, bones or major arteries severed in the crash but Chad Haga does have a deep wound involving his chest, neck, chin and lip.” He is in a Valencia but is in a stable condition.

Degenkolb injured his thigh and suffered a serious hand injury that needed surgery, confirming later on Facebook that the tip of a finger had almost been entirely severed. He was moved to Valencia where surgeons worked to reattach the part of his finger. Barguil suffered a fractured scaphoid in his wrist, while Walscheid fractured his hand and tibia. Ludvigsson and Sinkeldam escaped with multiple scratches and bruises.

Degenkolb issued a brief messages on his website, thanking people for their message of support and giving some details of his condition.

“In light of the many get-well wishes and messages I wanted to get in touch. I am doing well under the circumstances,” he wrote.

“Earlier (on Saturday) I had a full anesthesia so that the wounds on my thigh, underarm and lips could be stitched. Now I am an ambulance on the way to Valencia, where my left index finger should be fixed in a larger hospital. It is only hanging on by a thread. I can’t remember much about the accident. I wish all the other guys the best, too. I will be back in touch.”

"It should never have happened" 

Ludvigsson said via Twitter that the accident should not have happened. Emergency services in Spain said that an English woman was driving the vehicle and crossed to the opposite side of the road, hitting the six Giant-Alpecin riders.

“It's a shock that will sit for a long time, should not have to happened, completely straight road and a car driving on the wrong side of us, impossible to protect themselves,” he posted on Twitter in Swedish, adding in English: “For all who wondering, I'm after all pretty good with nothing broken, just pain, I'm lucky we all are alive, Thank you for all messages!!”

Barguil may need surgery and is expected to be moved to Brittany for further treatment in the next few days.

“Warren is shocked but he’ll come out of it okay. He’s fractured his wrist and hurt his knee,” his uncle and agent Sebastien Michon told French newspaper L’Equipe.

“He said he hit the car head on and that the driver didn’t brake and that the impact was brutal. He was also thinking about his teammates. He knows what they avoided.”