World Tour pro hit by car at 100Km/h - "If he had hit me head-on, I probably wouldn't be here today"

Only days ago, Soudal - Quick-Step rider Gianmarco Garofoli was racing the AlUla Tour, where he was in a prominent position on the race's climbs. Right after the race, he travelled to Tenerife to begin an altitude training camp. He has revealed that this week he has been hit by a driver at high-speed in the island, who ran away from the scene after almost causing a disastrous situation.

"Today I'm struggling for words. These photos tell the story of a moment that has affected me more than I can explain," Garofoli wrote in an Instagram post. "I was hit by a hit-and-run driver: he was coming from behind, at full speed, over 100 km/h, well over the speed limit". The Italian rider showed pictures of his wounds, as well as damage from the car that hit him, showing clearly a broken mirror and a scrape in the right side of the bumper.

Garofoli was hit by a car during a training ride, and left on the side of the road by himself. "I was perfectly visible: I was wearing a neon yellow vest and had my red taillight flashing. Despite this, he didn't slow down, he didn't move, he didn't do anything. He came up behind me and hit me with the mirror and the front of the car".

"In that moment, I realized that if he had hit me head-on, I probably wouldn't be here today," he admits. "After the impact, I felt helpless, fragile, completely at the mercy of something I couldn't control. But the worst thing wasn't just the blow: it was seeing that he didn't stop. He ran away, leaving me there on the asphalt, as if my life meant nothing".

The 23-year old is a developing climber in the Belgian team and his current time on Teide is meant to prepare the upcoming spring months where he will be an important part of the team. He has miraculously escaped serious injuries, however mentally he is quite wounded.

"As luck would have it, as I was returning to the hotel, still in shock, I saw a white Seat that perfectly matched the car that had hit me. The mirror was broken... the same one I had picked up from the ground a few minutes earlier," he revealed. "I immediately called the Guardia Civil, who took charge of the case and identified the driver. I then went to the hospital: fortunately, nothing was broken, just several bruises on the left side of my body. Inside, however, something was broken anyway".

It is a stark reminder of the vulnerability that cyclists have whilst out on the road, which applies even more to professional riders who train up to 30 or 35 hours a week on public roads, with traffic that they cannot control. Within the circumstance Garofoli was relatively lucky to escape more serious injuries, but this will certainly be an obstacle to overcome in the coming period of time before returning to racing.

"I share all this not to create controversy, but to remind us how helpless we are on the road and how it takes just a second, a wrong choice, to change a life. Today, that's how it is. Tomorrow we start again, with a little more fear, but with so much gratitude for still being here".