Cycling is and remains a very dangerous sport. Unfortunately, we are reminded of this all too often. Last year Julian Mertens was also involved in a serious traffic accident, a year later he had to make a drastic decision.
Forced end of career
For example, Mertens announces via social media that he will be forced to stop as a professional cyclist. “A year later… Unfortunately I will not return to the peloton. I have done everything I can, but the injuries I have sustained are simply too severe to fully recover from.”
“I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am today, especially my girlfriend, family, friends and parents,” it sounds particularly poignant on Instagram.
Serious accident
In May 2023, Merten was hit while training. He had only recently made the switch from Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise to Bingoal WB. His career seemed to be just about to take off. Unfortunately, disaster struck. “Everything stopped for me at that moment,” Mertens recapitulated earlier.
“A tractor lost its load on the road and I lost control of my bike and collided with the vehicle.” That was about the only thing he remembered from that fateful moment. Mertens was then also in a coma for several days.
“Almost my entire upper body was broken. Nine ribs, two fractures in the spine, shoulder blade, collarbone, jaw and teeth, arms, vertebrae, back of the head… And my left leg was numb for a few days.”
Our runner @MertensJulian suffered an accident in training on Wednesday and was hospitalized.
ℹ️ Communiqué > pic.twitter.com/E51qIUTCo3
— Bingoal WB (@BingoalWb) May 31, 2023
