Former French sprint star Nacer Bouhanni has reflected on the terrifying crash that ended his professional cycling career, admitting that he came close to paralysis following a major accident at the 2022 Tour of Turkey. Bouhanni, who officially retired after the 2023 season at just 33 years old, shared his emotional journey and the mental toll of repeated crashes in a new documentary.
Bouhanni, known for his fierce sprinting style, secured a total of 70 professional victories during his career. However, 65 of those wins came between 2012 and 2018, the peak of his competitive prowess. His most prestigious successes were stage wins in both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España.
In Crash, peloton sous tension, a documentary by L’Équipe, Bouhanni joined fellow French cycling figures—Romain Bardet, Marion Rousse, Anthony Turgis, and Marc Madiot—to recount the intense pressures of the sport. He revealed how his mindset shifted toward the end of his career:
“Towards the end of my career, I caught myself thinking too much. But when you’re already in the sprint, it’s too late to think: it’s no use anymore.”
Having raced for FDJ, Cofidis, and Arkéa-Samsic, Bouhanni shared the psychological effects of his crashes:
“I kept telling myself: ‘If I go into that hole, I risk going down. It’s dangerous. And if I fall, let it be there.’ When you start thinking about those things, there’s no point in trying to sprint anymore. The falls left marks on me that don’t go away… especially in the mind.”
The life-changing crash occurred at the Tour of Turkey in 2022. Bouhanni was riding in a tightly packed group when an unexpected obstacle appeared.
“I must have been between tenth and fifteenth in the group. We were all stuck wheel to wheel and suddenly something like a human barrier appeared. Two people were in the middle of the road.”
The collision had devastating consequences.
“I fell to the ground and knew right away that the situation was serious. I could not let my head move without holding it with my hands. The medical services arrived. There was a risk of paralysis. I collapsed. I called my family, and at that moment, for me, cycling was over.”
Known as one of the most crash-affected riders of his generation, Bouhanni did not hide his resentment toward the dangers cyclists face.
“It’s the most dangerous sport in the world,” he stated.
His story sheds light not only on the physical risks involved in professional cycling but also on the mental scars that athletes carry long after the finish line.
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