Filippo Baronicini (UAE Team Emirates XRG) has made a full recovery from serious injuries to his face sustained in a crash during the Tour de Pologne in August, but expressed serious concerns about the treatment he received at the race in an interview with Sporza.
The Italian crashed along with other riders on a tricky descent through a forest with 22km to go on stage 3 to Wałbrzych, suffering numerous fractures to bones in his face after crashing into a wall.
The stage was stopped for 16 minutes, and the GC neutralised due to the seriousness of the crash, yet Baroncini revealed that he was not immediately taken to hospital.
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"I still remember every detail of the fall. On a dangerous descent, there was a lot of gravel in a bend. I lost control of my bike, and unfortunately, I fell where I fell," the 25-year-old said.
"I had a broken jaw, a busted nose, and nearly went blind. I still don't dare look at the photos from right after my fall."
Baroncini expressed his gratitude for Michał Kwiatkowski, who was also involved in the fall, for asking his Ineos team doctor to attend to him, but added, "There's still something that keeps nagging at me. I was in a stationary ambulance for 45 minutes - incomprehensible when you know the condition I was in.
"In the end, it was the same Ineos team doctor who asked the paramedics to hurry up and take me to the hospital."
Once at the hospital, Baroncini underwent surgery for a fractured collarbone, but because of the injuries to his face, he was put into an induced coma.
"My father and brother then traveled to Poland to watch me sleep in a hospital bed for days. Afterward, I heard how difficult it was for them during that period," Baroncini said tearily. "If I could have told my father I was OK before my coma, I would have. But I wasn't able to."
He was flown to Italy while still in an induced coma and underwent 11 hours of surgery on his jaw and face. "When I woke up after two weeks, I realized it was a miracle that I was still alive and that I could still see.
"Because I was wearing cycling glasses, I broke my nose. But those same glasses saved my eyes. I was only a few millimeters away from going blind."
While his physical wounds have healed, the experience has left lasting psychological damage.
"I still haven't had the courage to look at the photos from right after my fall. I can't bear to see my severely damaged face," he said. "I've recently started talking to a psychologist so I can forget this whole experience. Because if I keep thinking about that fall, I won't perform anymore."
Because of the time spent off the bike, Baroncini is expecting to start his 2026 season a bit later, around the end of March. "I still need to seriously improve my fitness before then. If I get through this period with a strong head, a new career will begin for me."
The Italian has an eye on the Classics, with Milan-San Remo his biggest aim.
"But I would also be very happy if I ever won a Belgian classic. I have a special bond with Belgium. In 2021, I became U23 world champion in Leuven. In 2024, I won my first professional race there with the Super 8 Classic, and last season I won the Baloise Belgium Tour. The Belgian roads bring me happiness."
