UAE Team Emirates' Alvaro Hodeg back on his bike after career threatening crash

UAE Team Emirates Colombian sprinter, Alvaro Hodeg is one step closer to rejoining the peloton after remounting his bike for the first time since a crash with a car in December 2021 threatened to bring his career to a premature end.

Hodeg, who has one Grand Tour in his legs, the 2020 Giro d'Italia, is yet to ride for his current employers. Having joined UAE Team Emirates on a 2-year contract for 2022 and 2023, the Colombian has spent the whole of this year so far recuperating and recovering. In truth however, getting back on his bike at all is an achievement in itself. Hodeg's doctor initially told the 26-year-old that it was unlikely he would even walk again.

When speaking on his recovery, Hodeg had this to say, "Anxiety grabs you and doesn't let go, but the key has been family and God, because they have given me a lot of patience. It's not easy, because there are days when you depend on other people, who take you to the bathroom, who help you brush your mouth, eat, in short, they are a series of events that you are not used to. One is a high-performance athlete, but also a human being and pain does not respect. I had to put up with it, because the more one tolerates the pain, the better.”

Now after 11 long months and multiple surgeries, Hodeg is finally back riding his bike. In a video posted to Instagram by cyclist Octavio Otero, Hodeg is seen alongside his brother enjoying his first ride in almost a year.