"I told her 'I'm going to die'" - Cofidis rider opens up about aftermath of Tour of Oman crash

Damien Touzé is the second rider of Cofidis, following Nicolas Debeumarché at the 2024 Tour de Pologne, to come close to death following a crash during a pro race. The 2026 Tour of Oman has the dark shadow of the Frenchman's injuries following it, and Touzé has opened up about his fears of dying and the horrible conditions he had to face.

His fall happened during the fourth stage of the race on the 10th of February, and suffered a fractured femur and tibia, ruptured spleen, several torn ligaments and strong abdominal trauma. He needed to stay in Oman for an extended period of time due to the gravity of his injuries.

"The doctor was honest with me, I might not have woken up. I was crying in the hospital. I was in denial," Touzé said in an honest interview with L'Équipe. "I didn't want to call Sofia (his wife, ed.), but the doctor insisted: 'You may never speak to her again.'" I told her 'I'm going to die, tell our child I love them.'"

"They couldn't do anything other than put a few stitches in my thigh. I saw the doctors running around and I understood it was serious, but the pain disoriented me. I was scared, in a country I didn't know," he admits. He was then transferred elsewhere in the country but it only made the process worst. "I was lying next to the garbage, with flies everywhere, someone was walking around with insecticide—it was surreal".

Perhaps the most difficult part of understand is what happened following his time in Oman. It took some time but he was finally transferred to Belgium a few weeks after the fall so he could begin his recovery. Then he learnt that he had an intestine perforation. "There, they discovered that the doctors in Oman hadn't closed my abdominal wall. My organs were just under the skin," he says.

As shown by the French news outlet, Touzé carries a large scar in his stomach, after another procedure. He is now recovering from his injuries at regular pace, however the hopes of being a pro cyclist are not high.

Touzé is on contract year, and there is a certainty that he won't be racing in 2026, which makes it hard to start over again if he is able to in 2027. "I want to get back on my bike and see what's possible. But let's be honest: a year without racing…"