Teen Talent Vows to Return from Brain Hemorrhage and Paralysis after Roubaix Crash

Kamilla Aasebø vowed she will make it to the velodrome after she suffered a brain hemorrhage and multiple fractures in a harrowing crash at Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

The 19-year-old spent 10 days in a French hospital after she was left with a brain bleed and fractures to her elbow and jaw in a pile-up last month in the notorious cobblestone monument.

Aasebø, who rides with Uno-X Mobility, said this week that she’s back in Norway and thinking of the bumpy road to recovery.

“My stay in France ended up being a lot longer than expected,” Aasebø on Instagram.

“Unfortunately, the bleeding on the brain became worse quite quickly, which meant I needed emergency surgery. I also had surgery to fix fractures in my elbow and jaw, but thankfully all surgeries went well.

“After 10 slow days in Lille – but only five that I can remember – I’m very happy to finally be back in Oslo at Ullevål Hospital. Right now, the main focus is regaining movement in my right leg after the brain injury, and I’m ready and excited to begin the road to recovery,” she wrote.

Aasebø came down with USA’s Chloé Dygert and several others on the Orchies cobblestones three weeks ago at Paris-Roubaix.

She was immediately taken to hospital in nearby Lille, and didn’t make it out for some time.

After initially being diagnosed with what was called “a small bleed,” the condition worsened, and Aasebø was forced to undergo emergency surgery.

Images Aasebø shared in her post reveal a huge scar that snakes from her ear to the crown of her head.

“The crash itself was not especially dramatic,” Aasebø wrote. “I was simply very unlucky with the outcome. But once it became that serious, I’ve also been very lucky with how well things have gone.”

The push for safety

Aasebø’s crash comes in the context of a renewed push to improve safety in racing.

Team Decathlon-CMA CGM and PicnicPost-NL are both working on airbag systems which could help reduce the severity of crashes.

There’s also a new move by the UCI to make GPS tracking mandatory for all riders.

The Uno-X Mobility team uses Sweet Protection helmets with Mips technology. The “Multi-directional Impact Protection System” is designed to reduce rotational movement of the head in the event of a crash.

Paris-Roubaix 2026 was Aasebø’s first run at the “Hell of the North.” She promised it won’t be her last.

“One day, I will make it to the velodrome in Roubaix,” she wrote.