Terror on the Mont Ventoux: Johannessen (Uno-X) collapses and has to go to hospital after being administered oxygen

Johannessen began the Tour’s sixteenth stage in eighth place overall, about half a minute off seventh and about two minutes from the top five. From the foot of Mont Ventoux, Visma | Lease a Bike put the hammer down, and Johannessen was able to stay with the group for quite a while. When Jonas Vingegaard got out of the saddle, however, the group shattered, and we didn’t see the 25‑year‑old Norwegian again.

In the end he lost 5 minutes 11 seconds to stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre, costing him some ground on the riders ahead of him in the standings. There was a reason: at the summit Johannessen suddenly felt very unwell. “It was a scare, but fortunately he’s feeling better,” Uno-X team boss Thor Hushovd told TV2. “He’s recovered, but he has painful stomach cramps. He’ll go down as soon as possible.” That ultimately happened by ambulance.

After the medical checks, Johannessen got out at the bottom of Mont Ventoux with a smile, according to journalist Daniel Friebe. “He has just left the medical truck on a stretcher, but was smiling and gave a thumbs up. The team reassured us, but he’ll now go to hospital in Avignon for liver and blood checks before we make a decision on him continuing or not.”

The optimistic conclusion came from Johannessen himself on TV2. In the evening, the Norwegian spoke of 'hyperventilation'. "I did everything I could, but my stomach was bothering me a bit. When I crossed the finish line, I had to lie down on my back to catch my breath. Then it was up to the people to test me, and that has now been done. It looks good. We will do another test round on Wednesday, but I am sure I will start. It was probably just a reaction to something."

Johannessen is not surprised that his body protested. "I push hard from time to time and the body reacts to that." The symptoms only appeared 2 kilometers below the summit, after which the Uno-X team leader lost a lot of time. “He felt great, but suddenly he had stomach cramps and said he couldn't breathe. He really struggled to reach the finish,” said sports director Gabriel Rasch.