“I want to win grand tour stages again” – Lennard Kamna returns from life threatening crash with huge ambitions

Lennard Kämna is finally set to return to racing in 2025 after spending an entire year recovering from a life-threatening accident. The 28-year-old German was preparing for the Giro d’Italia when a crash in Tenerife last April derailed his season. Now, with a new team in Lidl-Trek, he is ready to rebuild his career, beginning at the Volta a Catalunya on March 24, more than a year since his last race.

At the time of his accident, Kämna was in top form and on course to lead Bora-Hansgrohe at the Giro alongside Dani Martinez. Conscious of the risks, he had been reminding himself to be careful while descending.

“I was in really good shape and on track for the Giro, my big goal,” he told Rouleur. “As I go out training every morning on the Spanish island, I tell myself to be careful. In my head and in my mind, I'm saying: ‘don’t take too much risk when descending’. If I go hard now and have a crash, it won’t help me.”

Then, the unthinkable happened. Kämna was hit by a car on a descent, leaving him in intensive care with multiple broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and scapula, severe chest trauma, and a lung contusion.

“I was really thinking about it [crashing] and then it actually happened. It was really weird.”

Though he remained conscious, the severity of his injuries meant he had almost no memory of his first three days in hospital.

“I was always conscious, but I only have about 10 minutes of memory of my three days in the emergency room. I didn’t know why I was in hospital, and it was like: woah, all of a sudden I’m here, but why? It took me a long time to realise what happened and that it wasn’t a dream but reality.”

The mental and physical toll was immense. Initially, he struggled to grasp how serious his injuries were, even entertaining thoughts of a late-season comeback.

“When I heard what happened, I was quite emotional. I didn’t know how dramatic it was and I thought maybe the Giro might not be possible, but afterwards I could maybe be fit for this or that event. I couldn’t get in my mind how bad the injury was.”

It was 63 days before he could get back on his bike, and by then, he had lost significant muscle mass. His brother immediately noticed how much weight he had dropped.

“The first thing my brother said was: ‘man, you don’t look good. You’re far too skinny.’”

Kämna credits his girlfriend for helping him maintain his weight during two months in hospital.

“Without her bringing food in from the outside, I’d have had 5% body fat. Even though I wasn’t doing a lot, my body still needed a lot of calories for my recovery.”

Though his lower body remained relatively unaffected, his upper body injuries left him unable to move properly for weeks.

“My legs were OK and after a few days I could stand up and walk a bit with some help,” he said. “But for the first four weeks I didn’t even go to the hospital garden – I stayed on the same floor.”

When he finally got back on the bike, it felt natural again.

“My first time riding outside was a super great feeling. Joyful. I was really happy. And it felt super natural. Because I forgot everything, I wasn’t scared about descending or riding outside.”

However, returning to elite-level racing was a far greater challenge.

“After all the time in hospital and in rehab, I was in really good shape for a normal person, but really far away from being a pro athlete. Also, it took me some time to get back into the mindset of a pro athlete. I was on the bike and could train, but I was far away from doing a pro’s daily training schedule. I was not ready for high-performance endurance sport, neither physically nor mentally.”

By August 2024, Kämna made the difficult decision to leave Bora-Hansgrohe after five seasons and nine victories, choosing to join Lidl-Trek for a fresh start.

Was it difficult to leave?

“No,” he said bluntly. “At one point it would of course have been difficult, but the way it was in the end I am really happy I could leave.”

While he still holds respect for his time at Bora, the circumstances surrounding his injury made for an awkward departure.

“In general, I had a good relationship with the team. I really liked the start, I had a good trainer, I had a good relationship with all the riders, and I felt comfortable for sure. But when something like this happens, it’s never perfect for either side. For sure the end was not what you wished for after a long and good chemistry before. But it was not a nice end. I was five years in Bora, but I had a shitty accident and didn’t race the last half a year. It wasn’t the outcome me or Bora were hoping for.”

With Lidl-Trek, Kämna now has a new opportunity to rebuild.

“I decided to sign for a ton of reasons. I can only say I am super happy to be here. They know I had this accident and expectations are not too high for Catalunya, but the hope and expectations are that I’ll come back to my old level.”

Looking ahead, Kämna has Grand Tour ambitions once again, though a Tour de France return remains uncertain.

“A lot has to go right, and I’m totally aware it’s not an easy task to be there.”

His main goal remains the same—to win big races.

“I want to win Grand Tour stages again, and win other races – it’s my big goal. I’ve got the feeling that it helps to be in a new environment and to have a completely fresh start. I feel confident about the future.”

After a harrowing experience, Kämna knows just how lucky he is to be back in the pro peloton.

“In the end, I was super lucky with the outcome. That I am able to sit here and do pro sports again, that’s incredible. It’s a really big thing.”