'He has a very long way to go' - 19-year-old Tofik Beshir continues recovery in hospital from horrific training crash as CXD Trek Bikes teammates offer support with 'endless supply of bracelets'

It has been 20 days since Tofik Beshir went on a gravel ride near his college in North Carolina and was air-flighted to a nearby trauma hospital after being struck head-on by a driver of a motor vehicle. He was allowed to relocate to a Washington, D.C.-area hospital to be near his family, but "there's a long road ahead" according to his cyclo-cross team manager at CXD Trek Bikes.

"I can say he is much more conscious than he has been the prior week. Having Tofik talk back, even with his raspy voice, is just wonderful. I'm looking forward to when he can say thank you to the world," Chris Merriam, founder and team manager for CXD Trek Bikes, told Cyclingnews.

Beshir first received medical care at Johnson City Medical Center in east Tennessee, with "injuries consistent with brain shear trauma". Before his parents could travel from Virginia to be at the ICU, Lees-McRae College cycling team coach Timothy Hall and school President Dr. [Herbert l.] Lee King were at Beshir's bedside. He also had Kelly Benefits road team coach and mentor Mark Frazier present. Hall has provided some updates on Instagram, with Beshir's family asking for privacy.

"He was just on a pretty short recovery ride in North Carolina. Both his [Lees-McRae] coach and I were expecting calls from him that night," Merriam recalled. "One of his teammates was actually able to ride to where the sirens were [heard that day] and kind of put everything in motion. Lees McRae and their support system jumped into action, and then we learned about it."

Merriam, who is based in Washington, D.C., said the young riders on his team have been deeply disturbed by the situation. Beshir started with the team as a junior several years ago and opened this season with five wins in six races, sweeping elite races at Charm City Cross en route to winning the USCX Series title and establishing himself as a leader.

Beshir was back in North Carolina for school in early October and preparing for race weekends in Ohio and Indiana, where last year he landed his first UCI elite men's cyclo-cross podiums, including a first UCI elite race victory, at the age of 18, at Major Taylor Cross Cup.

When the news of Beshir's horrific crash was relayed to riders on October 9, Merriam said his CXD teammates wondered if travel and racing in Ohio was "the right thing to do".

"It's a really hard thing to balance going out and racing, just doing the sport, and knowing that our teammate and close friend is lying in a hospital bed. The response from the team [has been huge]. Alyssa [Sarkisov] and Miles [Mattern] in particular, they really led the charge."

He described how team members gathered supplies to hand thread beads onto elastic bands, many in the purple and gold colours for the CXD squad, the day before the race in Ohio. On the first day, he said more than half the field of elites wore the 'Tofik bracelets', including rivals and elite winners Manon Bakker and Andrew Strohmeyer.

"It was thanks to them and Cora Cusack, one of our junior riders, who just made boxes full of them. We were also able to get cards, about 100, so people could send Tofik a note. My wife and I took the cards to him last night, and more from another local race. His mom is helping him work his way through this giant pile of cards.

"I know from him it really means quite a bit the amount of community support he's getting. Whatever people want to call it, prayers or positive healing vibes, he is definitely aware.

"A shout out to Finnley Sonnemann, another one of our juniors. He went to a farmer's market and sold a few hundred dollars of them, which went straight to the GoFundMe."

The GoFundMe page was started on October 9 and has raised $142,157 to date. Merriam said to get the word out right away at Kings CX, the team also created a poster with a QR code, and they hoped to spearhead the crowdsourcing effort into a medical trust for care over time.

"The poster was there when people were coming to pick the bracelets and fill out the cards. It was everybody making donations at whatever level they felt comfortable with, but it made a huge difference. That kind of momentum has really carried forward. It was strange doing what we love, racing, as a team and a family without him."

Trek CXD Bikes will co-host the Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships in Washington, D.C. on November 7 with the DCMTB club team, the event returning to the Armed Forces Retirement Home. Merriam said a special poster will be created by Marian University cycling alumnus Lucas Stierwalt using a photograph of Beshir popping a wheelie to win a bike race. The posters, as well as "an endless supply of bracelets", will be available at the team tent to continue fundraising efforts.

Merriam confirmed he knew Beshir was healing, though slowly, when the teenager still had his sense of humor.

"I told him that Manon Bakker was racing in Europe with his bracelet, she sent me a message overnight. He said 'I finally get to race in Europe'. So he is internalising all the good feelings."

In addition to the medical trust, his family and collection of teams as that get well cards be sent via US Mail: Tofik Beshir, PO Box 6323, 5636 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015.

The road season might be at an end, but Cyclingnews isn't slowing down. Subscribe for unlimited access to our comprehensive news coverage, industry-leading CN Labs testing, expert columnists, and so much more. Plus, the Cyclingnews app means you can stay up-to-date wherever you go! Join today.