‘My greatest victory is simply being alive’: Augé details injuries after Langkawi crash

Ronan Augé has set out the extent of his injuries for the first time since the crash that put him into a medically induced coma at the Tour de Langkawi on 2 October.

The Unibet Rose Rockets rider crashed into a lamppost on a descent early in stage 6 and was taken to hospital in Kuala Lumpur, where he remains. He was brought out of the coma five days later.

“A few days ago, my life completely changed on the roads of the Tour de Langkawi,” Augé wrote on Instagram. “After a terrible crash, several days in a coma, and waking up in a Kuala Lumpur hospital, I’m slowly beginning to realise what I’ve been through.”

“The list of my injuries is long: nearly seven fractures, including to my tibia, elbow, cervical vertebrae, ribs, fingers and skull, a pneumothorax, partial paralysis of the jaw, and so much more to overcome. But despite everything, I’ve never been so happy to be alive.”

He has described breaks to the C6 and C7 vertebrae and has been unwilling to put a timeline on anything.

“I know the road to recovery will be long. Very long. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to my best, but one thing is certain: I won’t give up on my dreams. I promise you I’ll give it my all, that I will fight every day and I will never stop believing.”

Augé was in his first season with the French ProTeam and took his first professional victory at the Route d’Occitanie in June. He had finished fourth on stages 1 and 3 in Malaysia before the crash, riding as the team’s lead-out man. 

His father Stéphane rode eight Tours de France between 2002 and 2010, wore the polka dot jersey twice and later worked as a sport director at Cofidis.

Both parents have visited him daily in hospital.

“I want to extend a huge thank you to Unibet Rose Rockets, who have been absolutely incredible in supporting my family and me from the very beginning. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people,” Augé wrote.

“I’ve received thousands of messages since my fall and I’ve read every single one. Your words have touched me more than you can imagine and have given me tremendous strength. A huge thank you also to all the medical teams and everyone taking care of me.”

“Right now, my greatest victory is simply being alive. The road ahead will be long, but my story isn’t over yet. I will never give up.”