Cycling: Torment yourself, you pig! There are probably only a few sports where active people can suffer as badly as in cycling. Distances of 200 kilometers have to be covered and the largest passes have to be conquered. As if that weren't enough of a challenge, the athletes also have to compete in a competition. It is not uncommon for the smallest decisions to make the difference between victory and defeat. A little bit of luck is often required. But what happens when that happiness doesn't materialize? In this article we take care of the unlucky cyclists of 2016.
Giant-Alpecin's devastating training accident
Falls are never welcomed in cycling, but they are particularly devastating when caused by a car. On January 23 of this year, such an accident happened at the Giant-Alpecin training camp in Spain. The sextet, consisting of Chad Haga, Warren Barguil, Fredrik Ludvigsson, Ramon Sinkeldam and the two Germans Max Walscheid and John Degenkolb, was traveling near Valencia. According to official information, two of them drove side by side, but in contrast to the driver, they were on the right side of the road. The 73-year-old driver is originally from Great Britain and drove on the wrong side of the road in Spain. This resulted in a head-on collision with the six professional cyclists.
After the crash, the drivers were housed and treated in two hospitals. In addition to abrasions and bruises, some of them also suffered deep cuts and broken bones, necessitating operations. It's almost a miracle that no professional got it worse. Most of them were able to leave the hospital a few days later. As the season progressed, they all got back on their bikes. Still, some of them missed the start of the season. John Degenkolb, for example, didn't make it to his top form until the Tour de France. He celebrated his only two victories of the season at the Arctic Race of Norway and the Münsterland Giro. The year had a happy ending for Max Walscheid: At the Tour of Hainan at the end of October, the 23-year-old won five stages.
The black year of Steven Kruijswijk
When we think about the Unlucky Cyclists 2016, one name springs to mind: Steven Kruijswijk. The Dutchman has been anything but lucky this year. Even if Kruijswijk probably had the best year of his career, it could have been much better. Certainly not considered one of the favorites at the Giro d'Italia in May, he took the pink jersey and looked unassailable. Before the start of stage 19 he held an advantage of almost five minutes over eventual winner Vincenzo Nibali. However, on the way from Pinerolo to the top of the mountain in Risoul, he still lost the tour. It pushed him a little too far on a descent, so he crashed into a wall of snow and ice. He got up unharmed and kept going, but he had to stop twice, get his bike repaired and eventually change it. The clock kept ticking and the race was lost. Nibali won the stage and eventually the Giro. In the end, Kruijswijk was only fourth.
But that shouldn't have been the end of Kruijswijk's bad luck: a few weeks later he wanted to compete for a good result at the Vuelta a Espana. However, he didn't get far. But this time it wasn't his fault. Rather, the route safety was sloppy. On the 5th stage, the organizers actually forgot to secure a road post near the finish line. He was about a meter from the curb. In the pack of drivers, this obstacle was impossible for everyone involved to see. Steven Kruijswijk thundered in at full speed, crashed hard onto the tarmac and broke his collarbone straight away. He had to give up the Tour early and the season was over. As a cycling fan, Steven Kruijswijk can only be wished all the best for the coming season. If he comes back as strong as he was at the 2016 Giro d'Italia, he will soon make this black year forgotten.
Bad luck instead of gold: Henao, Nibali & Dennis at the Olympics
The Olympic Games were certainly the highlight for many professional cyclists this year. Three of them actually had a chance at the gold medal during the race. But then bad luck came around the corner. The Olympic road race got down to business. When Vincenzo Nibali and Rigoberto Uran attacked together with Rafal Majka, the decisive escape seemed to have been successful. Three drivers of such a format can hardly be brought back so close to the finish line. The three medals seemed almost taken before it finally went downhill. It's almost ironic that a descent of all things thwarts Nibali's gold dream, because the Italian is actually considered one of the best downhill skiers of our time. But there was a fall. Nibali and Henao were down and the race was over for them. Nibali broke his collarbone, Henao his pelvis. Rafal Majka escaped unscathed and won bronze.
Fortunately, Rohan Dennis escaped without a fall at the Rio Olympics. The Australian wanted to grab a medal in the individual time trial. During the first intermediate times, things looked really good for this project. After around 20 kilometers he was in the lead with a lead of almost 25 seconds over the eventual winner Fabian Cancellara. Even after almost 35 kilometers he was the only one who could still stand up to the Swiss. But then a defect overtook him: his handlebars broke and he had to change bikes. After that, the Australian time trial champion couldn't find his step anymore. He lost second by second and ended up only fifth. The medal dream was still burst. A little over six weeks later, Dennis was about to win the overall Eneco Tour. This time a fall prevented him from triumphing. On the last leg to Geraardsbergen, he fell on wet cobblestones and suffered skin abrasions. He gave up and lost the tour. As bitter as the year may have been for Dennis: He has shown us all impressively that he can shine on several terrains. We will see a lot more from him in the future.
More retrospective articles:
The big season review: The cycling highlights 2016 - Part 1/2
The big season review: The cycling highlights 2016 - Part 2/2
The big season review: The top drivers 2016
The big season review: The cycling flops of 2016
The big season review: The cycling highlights of 2016 in 30 pictures
The big season review: The cycling surprises of 2016