Milan Vader looks back on his accident - "I couldn't eat by myself"

The year 2022 was a difficult one for Milan Vader. It took the Dutchman from Jumbo-Visma quite some time to recover after crashing very badly during the Tour of the Basque Country.

He recounted his fall during an interview. He was in a serious condition and went into coma for almost two weeks. "There is a two-week gap in my memory. My last memory is of a few days before the fall. I don't remember anything from the day itself, nor from the days after. I was in a coma for twelve days; when I came to, it was the middle of April," revealed Vader.

Though remembers how it went down and what was the reason of the crash. “My pedal hit the asphalt in a fast turn. I slipped off my handlebars with both hands, catapulted over the guardrail and took a nose dive. I was ten meters down and twenty meters away when they found me. Later I looked back in my bike computer to see how fast I was going. 73, 74 kilometers per hour," said the Dutchman.

It took him more than two months to be back on cycle. He had to start from scratch. "I was able to start cycling outside again in June.I had to start from scratch again. Standing, taking steps, walking, showering, standing on my toes. I couldn't eat by myself; my coordination was so bad that I was mouthing it next to my mouth. The first time on an exercise bike, I could only pedal thirty watts. I felt so weak," said Vader.

He later participated in CRO Race and secured 70th position in GC. Santos Tour Down Under will be his next major race.”I went to Spain and then I rode in Croatia. The doctors said to me that there is a risk of internal bleeding if I fall on my head. In the end, everything was considered and we came to the conclusion that I can race with it," concluded Vader.