Miracle man: Stig Broeckx has staged an incredible recovery and is now back on his bike despite his life having hung in the balance after a race crash when two motos collided early in the 2016 season.
Almost 2½ years after suffering catastrophic injuries in a race crash, former Lotto-Soudal rider Stig Broeckx is back on his bike.
The 28-year-old, who was forced into retirement due to the crash, completed a 40km ride on his mountain bike at the weekend.
He shared photos of himself on the ride; something of a miracle recovery considering what he has been though since the spring of 2016.
And not content with getting out for a bit of MTB riding, he is now looking to progress to his road bike.
Back in June, 2016, it emerged Broeckx was in a vegetative state one month after he was taken out when two race motos crashed into each other and then bunch at the Belgium Tour.
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Out on his mountain bike in his Lotto-Soudal kit; a huge moment after more than two years of recovery.
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He suffered a number of bleeds on the brain and underwent surgery several times. It would be seven months after his crash that he spoke his first words, such was the severity of his injuries.
Since then he has come out of a coma and had to learn how to walk and talk again, even needing to learn how to swallow again.
He has been able to ride on an indoor trainer for quite some time. But he has now taken the step of riding outdoors for the first time since the race crash almost claimed his life.
Updating on his condition just weeks after the crash, his team said he had suffered “severe brain damage, in the brain stem and different brain regions”.
And it told the media at that time that out of respect for his family it would not be making further comment; a development that led many to fear the worst.
The crash that injured him so badly occurred when one race moto hit a stationery race moto as the field was descending a climb about 65km into stage 3 of the Belgian race.
Both motorbikes then hit the field with about 20 riders falling, half of whom were hospitalised.
And having been badly injured when hit from behind by a moto at the Belgian semi classic Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne back in February, 2016, Broeckx come out worst of the riders who crashed in May.
He was attended to by medics at the scene before being taken by helicopter to hospital in Aachen.
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