Hoogerland was left in rag order; but with no broken bones the size of the compensation demand might surprise.
In 2011 Dutch rider Johnny Hoogerland became a global news story when he limped to the finish of Tour de France stage 9 after his shorts were ripped from him in a crash, exposing bloody buttocks.
His legs were in the same condition.
The then Vacansoleil rider was part of a five-man breakaway on the road to Saint-Flour when a car carrying personnel from TV company France 2 tried to overtake the small escape.
The vehicle hit Juan Antonio Flecha of Team Sky, sending him flying into Hoogerland, who was shunted into a barbed wire fence at the side of the road at great speed and with great force.
He was left in bits.
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Hoogerland eventually climbed out of the field and after being patched up, including a change of shorts, he got back on his bike.
He finished nearly 17 minutes down but had ridden himself into the climbers’ classification jersey.
He sued the AIG insurance company of France 2 and sought €400,000.
He said he had medical and legal bills, had suffered pain and lost the chance to win the polka jersey in the Tour and the stage, and with it the chance of a bigger contract. He also said his scars still itch.
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He revealed today he had finally settled the claim but would not disclose how much for.
That crash
On the podium with the climbers’ jersey; the drama and pain of the day is easy to see on Hoogerland’s face.
The Dutchman won huge respect for simply getting patched up on the move and making it to the finish.
His wounds looked more manageable after a couple of days, but his Tour was ruined.
Defending the climbers’ jersey would have been hard anyway, but with such injuries it was impossible.
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