"I was dead for a little bit" - Nathan van Hooydonck recalls terrifying incident that forced him into early retirement
Cycling
Much sooner than anyone had hoped, former Team Visma | Lease a Bike star Nathan van Hooydonck was forced into retirement recently. Speaking to Eurosport, the Belgian opened up on the situation.
"I had a heart attack while driving the car with my then-still pregnant wife next to me," van Hooydonck recalls in conversation with commentator, Rob Hatch. "It meant the end of my career and actually I was dead for a little bit. It's hard to say and it's weird to say but that's just how it was."
"So since then, I've been retired. My wife gave birth straight after to a beautiful son so yeah, highs and lows," van Hooydonck laughs wryly. "I just take it day by day. It wasn't easy to start with for sure. I wanted too much too soon and start straight away my second career. I still don't really know, but I've taken two steps back."
Recently, van Hooydonck joined Hatch in the commentary box for Eurosport. "I really enjoyed doing the commentary in London. I also drive guests and sponsors for the team so I can still be at the races but far away enough that it's not too confronting. Again there's ups and downs but that's just how life goes I think."
"I also realised that if I wanted to do something with my second career, I had to do it myself. There's nobody else who's going to do it for me," concludes the 28-year-old. "It's hard at times. It's certainly not easy but I try to do my best and find something that I'd really like to do."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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