After 12 days of coma and five months away from competition, Milan Vader confirms return to the peloton

Jumbo-Visma will not only see the return of Jonas Vingegaard to competition at the Cro Race, but also Milan Vader who is back on the bike and ready to compete after suffering serious injuries at the Itzulia Basque Country back in April. 

“Three weeks ago I did all the tests. Several results that came out of that were the same as in December 2021," the Dutchman told PZC. "I think that says something. It makes me believe that I may come out of this period stronger than I ever was.” Vader crashed on the fifth stage of the Basque race, suffering fractured vertebrae, scapula and collarbone, besides suffering a serious head injury. 

Vader recently made a trip to the hospital in Bilbao, where he was in a coma for 12 days and in intensive care for several others. He's shared the moment on social media, and has mentioned regarding it: "You can say that I experienced the least beautiful moment of my life there. But you can also turn it around: maybe I had the best moment of my life there. Thanks to those people there I survived. I wouldn't be here without them.”

In the interview he has explained that it took time get back on his feet, and how the accident has changed his perspective on his career: “First you make big steps, then they get smaller and smaller. I continued to listen carefully to my body the whole time. Sometimes there were days when I thought: today is not the best day to train. Then I also stayed at home. I used to feel bad about that, because I wanted to become a better cyclist, didn't I? Now I think: a day of rest is sometimes good for me. I can now put things in perspective better.”