(Brussels) Belgian cyclist Nathan Van Hooydonck, teammate of Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert at Jumbo-Visma, was seriously injured on Tuesday in a car accident while he was driving in Kalmthout, in the north of the Belgium, we learned from a police source.
“He was transported to hospital with a life-threatening condition,” a local police spokesperson told AFP.
According to Flemish media, the 27-year-old cyclist lost control of his car after feeling unwell while driving, and then hit another vehicle while crossing an intersection.
“We can confirm that earlier today our rider Nathan Van Hooydonck felt unwell while driving his car, and that he was involved in a road accident,” commented the Jumbo-Visma team on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
“We cannot confirm rumors that he is in critical condition. He is undergoing additional medical examinations” at the hospital, she added.
The runner’s wife, who is pregnant and was at his side during the accident, is unhurt, according to initial findings.
Nathan Van Hooydonck, originally from Gooreind, in a rural area bordering the Netherlands, joined the Jumbo-Visma team in 2021.
He is committed there until 2024, with among his main teammates another Belgian, Wout van Aert, but also the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who won the last two Tours de France, and the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, three-time winner of the Vuelta and winner of the Giro this year.
