Look: Philippe Gilbert abandons the race after a horrible accident and an extraordinary feat of courage

• Watch: Philippe Gilbert abandons the race after a horrible accident and an extraordinary feat of courage

  Independent.ie

  The rebroadcast is difficult to watch without grimacing. Philippe Gilbert was on his own first stage of the Tour de France when he lost control of his bike on a left turn. His front wheel gave way to the wet asphalt, and as he struggled with his handlebars, he turned terrifyingly towards the edge of the mountain pbad.

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Re broadcasts are hard to watch without wincing. Philippe Gilbert was on his own first stage of the Tour de France when he lost control of his bike on a left turn. His front wheel shattered on the wet asphalt, and while he was struggling with his handlebars, he headed for the edge of the pbad.

In the seconds when Gilbert hurtled down the track, the 1995 Tour evoked images of Italian runner Fabio Casartelli, who crashed and died in the same descent of the Portet Pbad of Aspet. , aged 24, when he struck

Fortunately, Gilbert did not suffer the same fate. His bike crashed against the wall, propelling him to the edge, and although his body was spoiled and bruised and his lead dissipated, he managed to finish the stage half an hour later. after the eventual winner Julian Alaphilippus. It was not so bad, "he said immediately after the scene." It was not so deep, I think about four meters, but there were a lot of stones and when I was I'm lying there I thought: "I broke everything." I did not dare to move at first. I expected, but fortunately they were rather fast [to help]. I have a lot of pain and my knee is badly damaged, but I think I have not broken anything, thankfully. "

What is extraordinary, is that it was later confirmed that Gilbert had a broken lateral pole of the patella – a fractured patella – but had climbed back on his bike to ride the Last 50 kilometers He then abandoned the Tour, but he leaves with an astonishing feat of courage and perseverance

And as perverse as it may sound, that's exactly why Gilbert moved to Quick-Step Floors For four years, his job at BMC was to support Cadel Evans and Richie Porte in their overall ambitions as a loyal domestic.The US team's perspective was long-term – a strategy of three weeks, a period of waiting, avoiding incidents and dramas – and exactly the opposite of what makes Gilbert tick

The Belgian is delighted to treat each stage as a new race. one day to attack from the start. As part of the so-called "Wolf Quick-Step Pack", he still needs to support the goals of his teammates, like Fernando Gaviria's sprint ambitions at the start of the Tour, but the focus put on Quick-Step is to live in present; You never know when you could end up in a ditch by the side of the road.

The 36-year-old man is at a point in his career when he does not have enough time left to interest himself. . On Tuesday, he won an unlikely victory, attacking from afar knowing that it was unlikely that he would not hold back the tall climbers on the last climb, the Col du Portillon. He has failed painfully, and now he is leaving the Tour, but he goes out doing what he likes: fighting to win the day.

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