A few days at a cycling training camp to Mallorca in preparation for his ultimate dream: becoming a professional cyclist. That did not go as expected for Ramon van de Sande (19) from Halsteren. He was seriously injured in a collision with a car last February, and there were even fears for his life. Ramon now has one more goal: to do everything possible to be able to cycle again.
The prospect was so good: training in the sun for a few days for the sport you love so much. This was also how it looked for Ramon until the second to last day. Seeing the Spanish view on the bike one last time during a descent on the Randa (a mountain range in Mallorca). But on the ride down it all went wrong.
“I can’t remember anything about the accident,” says the rider South West TV. This also applies to the two hours before and the two weeks after the accident. “According to the police report, it happened in a bend, where I flipped up against a car that was going uphill. The rider behind me had alerted the team leaders. He had seen a car with a broken windshield and a loose bicycle wheel, which turned out to be mine.”
Ramon was found in a ditch. There he was stabilized by the guidance of the cycling teams. “According to the supervisors, I said to the paramedic in English: ‘I have pain in my back and in my neck’.”
“There are two pins in my back to keep things straight.”
Ramon has been in the hospital for more than a month. First in Mallorca, later in Rotterdam. The fact that he was in such a bad shape, is no longer visible to him two months later. But the laundry list of injuries was large.
“Because of the blow to my head, I had several cerebral hemorrhages. I broke my collarbone and shoulder blade. Three vertebrae were also broken, one of which was crushed. Two cervical vertebrae are torn and I have two broken ribs. In addition, I have a spinal cord injury and there are two pins in my back to keep things straight.”
Ramon is currently rehabilitating hard. “That sucks a lot of energy. As a result, I sleep more, also during the day. Once a week I go to an occupational therapist and twice a week I have physiotherapy. I also have to do exercises at home every day.” That leads to progress. “I can now walk indoors again without crutches, go up and down stairs independently and I can dress myself again.”
“I want to stay in the cycling world no matter what.”
Despite the setback, Ramon looks ahead with his head held high. His immediate goal of getting back on the bike remains unchanged. “I hope to eventually be able to participate in competitions again. Otherwise it is my plan B to go into para cycling.” The accident has not deterred him at all. “I want to stay in the cycling world no matter what. It really is my passion and my life.”
He has no regrets about the training camp. “It really was a fantastic week. The Randa is and remains my favorite climb,” says the cyclist. “I would still like to go back to Mallorca, even if I would run in the descent at that corner.”
