Cofidis' Axel Zingle may have saved fellow rider's life at GP La Marseillaise: "He was mostly convulsing, lying on his back and his mouth was full of blood"

Axel Zingle was one of the main favourites for the Grand Prix La Marseillaise but did not complete the race. He crashed on the descent of the Route des Crêtes, and his assistance to fellow rider Yaël Joalland of CIC U Nantes Atlantique may have saved his life.

"After the fall it took me some time to come back to my senses. But when I saw Yaël, he didn't really seem conscious. He was mostly convulsing, lying on his back and his mouth was full of blood," Zingle said in words to DirectVelo. "I saw that he could no longer breathe. I understood that he had hit his head hard. I was very afraid for him, he could have died. There have been many falls, but this one... I stayed with him until a doctor arrived. It was tough because he's a friend of mine. Even if I had helped everyone who had been there."

The brutal scene of the crash saw Zingle stay in the scene and provide support for the 23-year old before medical assistance arrived for both. Joalland suffered facial fractures and fractured vertebrae in the race he was leading the French continental team, but was lucky to have not suffered worst on that day.

"I lost consciousness. I have no memory of this fall and the moments that followed. The last image I remember is the top of the Crêtes. Then I woke up in the hospital in Marseille. But I know what Axel did for me. Luckily he was there. He may have saved my life," he says in emotional words.

Both have given insight but the latter's makes it understandable the seriousness of the accident. "I've lost five pounds since the fall, and I was already skinny. But I want to return to cycling," he shares. "Returning home now to my girlfriend and dog would be very nice, but I think I will get back on my bike someday."