Cofidis rider Damien Touzé unsure about career after severe crash: “It was like I’d been torn open”

Cofidis previously described the incident as a “very serious crash”, with an initial diagnosis of a perforated intestine that required emergency surgery. The team later added that Touzé also suffered a ruptured spleen and multiple injuries to his leg: a broken tibia, damage to the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Touzé’s wife travelled to Oman to support him in hospital. Cofidis said he was expected to be repatriated to a hospital near his home in Belgium, with his leg in a cast from groin to foot.

The Frenchman later revealed he hit a barrier at around 60 kilometres per hour (about 37 mph). “At first (in Oman) they didn’t realise I had a hole in my intestine,” he explained to Ouest-France. “They hadn’t closed the abdominal wall; it was like I’d been torn open.”

When he arrived back in Belgium, another emergency operation was required. The conclusion already appears clear: Touzé’s season is over — and his longer-term future is uncertain too. “Will I ever be able to race at a high level again? We don’t know that yet,” he said candidly.

Speaking to Belgian medium RTBF, Touzé said he sees a broader pattern: “In recent years, the number of crashes in these races — which are normally the safest — has increased. The tension is really intense, and since the start of the year we’ve seen at least one big crash in every race.”

And for Touzé, the fight for UCI points is not the only factor. “The bikes… I feel like they don’t suit us anymore. They’re like a piece of wood. You can easily ride 60 km/h on the flat, boxed in behind someone’s wheel. So the slightest impact you get becomes a hundred times bigger for us.”