Stig Broeckx

During the third stage of the 2016 Tour of Belgium, on 28th May, Broeckx was in a crash caused by two motorbikes that ran into the peloton when it was descending at speed. He was one of the 11 riders hospitalized.[2] He was reported to suffer severe injuries (his heart stopped beating for a time) and was placed in an induced coma at the hospital in Gent.[3] In June 2016, Lotto Soudal team issued a medical update explaining that Stig Broeckx was in a vegetative state with severe brain damage, with attempts to bring him out of his coma so far unsuccessful.[4] A further update in September 2016 stated that Broeckx was being cared for in a rehabilitation centre in Overpelt, and was considered to be in a minimally conscious state, with no hope of recovery.[5] His family insisted that Broeckx be sent to a pioneering coma centre in Liège;[6] in December 2016 team doctor Servaes Bingé confirmed Broeckx was out of a coma.[7]

By 2019 Broeckx had recovered to a great extent, and was able to walk with a stick, although he had no memory of the five years leading up to the accident, and found out who he had been from the Internet. He cycles for recreation; when asked if afraid, he replied "I was already dead, so why [be afraid] now?".[6]