Unbound Gravel 2022 champion survives terrifying head on collision with a truck: "He’s doing really well considering the circumstances"

Dutch cyclist Ivar Slik, was involved in a crash while training in Bentonville, Arkansas, last week in preparation for Unbound Gravel. He sustained multiple injuries and remains at a hospital in Arkansas following surgery. The Dutchman suffered a severe concussion, a crack to his skull, a broken nose, and several cuts.

Niki Terpstra described the crash on his Speed On Wheels podcast: "The four of us did a gravel ride for the first time; it was the second day we were here. We had a slight descent. Ivar and Jasper rode in front, Thijs and I were behind. We had a blind bend to the left. Out of nowhere, a delivery truck comes around the corner. One or two seconds later, there was a loud crash. Ivar drives head-on into that car."

"He’s conscious, he’s talking, and he’s moving his whole body," Jasper Ockeloen, also in the US reported on his social media. "But he will be kept in the hospital for the next few days anyway so they can monitor him. We are very happy with all the help he gets and has received. He is not reachable and will not be on his bike for the time being."

Another training partner, Thijs Zonneveld, told Cyclingnews: "Just days after the crash, it was just all about being in the moment and that he rest as much as possible and that there were no more complications. The situation every day became better and better. The main thing is that he recovers. He’s doing really, really, really, really well considering the circumstances."