French WorldTour pro Thibault Guernalec says he came “within an inch of being in a wheelchair” after he was struck by a car driver while training on his bike last week.
The 28-year-old, who has spent the last seven seasons with Arkéa-B&B Hotels, suffered fractures to his lower back and finger, as well as a concussion, his team confirmed.
Speaking to French publication Le Télégramme Guernalec said he also experienced “a complete blackout” after the incident.
“What scares me is that I don’t remember anything,” the Frenchman said. "I don't remember going for a ride, I don't remember texting my loved ones before I left. I don't remember the accident either.
“My speedometer says I was going 50kph on a slight downhill. For almost four hours after that, it's a complete blackout. I have no memory of anything. Nothing."
The incident happened last Thursday in France's Brittany region. Afterwards, Guernalec was transferred to hospital in Rennes, where he underwent surgery on a lumbar vertebrae fracture.
“I came within an inch of being in a wheelchair,” he said. “If you saw my helmet…”
The 28-year-old went on to add that the saga had made him reflect on the dangers of cycling and “the risks of the job”.
“Right now, I’m in a pretty bad way,” he said.
Guernalec’s crash came in the same week that SD Worx-Protime rider Lorena Wiebes was the victim of a hit-and-run while training in the Netherlands. “Luckily I’m quite OK but this could be way worse, especially because I got hit from the back,” Wiebes wrote on Instagram.
Last December, Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel was hospitalised, breaking his shoulder blade, hand and a rib, after he collided with the then-opened door of a postal truck.
Fellow Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks was also hit by a car driver this June, pleading afterwards on social media for people to “please pay attention for vulnerable road user[s]”.
Guernalec was part of France’s mixed relay team that won the team time trial at the European Championships this October.
With the demise of Arkéa-B&B Hotels, the Frenchman appears to be without a team for 2026, although Le Télégramme reports that he is expected to join TotalEnergies.
