Injuries So Terrible the Clinic Runs Out of Bandages: Teen Talent Reveals Toll of 80kph Training Crash

Albert Withen Philipsen has been left mummified in bandages after a shocking 80kph training crash that could have been much worse.

The 19-year-old supertalent on Lidl-Trek shared on social media Tuesday the grizzly detail of a terrifying fall that’s torn up his face, thighs, and hands.

“Sometimes shit happens, and the last few days have been pretty rough,” Philipsen wrote Tuesday on Instagram.

“I had a nasty training crash on Friday. I don’t remember much – one minute I was descending at 80kph and the next thing I remember was lying on the ground – alone, half conscious, trying to use the small window of adrenaline to call the emergency services while blood was dripping down my face.”

Philipsen posted images revealing heavy road rash across his brow and chin. The open wounds to his face hint at the mess that’s beneath the heavy bandages across his right side.

His hands and fingers are fully gloved in dressings, suggesting he wasn’t wearing mitts.

[See images below – ed.]

Miraculously, Philipsen will walk away with “only” flesh wounds – albeit ones so severe they wiped out the hospital’s supplies.

“I feel extremely lucky to be back home with no internal injuries, apart from a heavy hit to the head, and no broken bones – even though I’m still pretty banged up right now,” Philipsen wrote Tuesday.

“You know it was a proper crash when the clinic runs out of bandages after two days. Recovery will take some time, but I’ll come back stronger.”

Philipsen is of the same crop of Gen-Z phenoms as Paul Seixas and reigning U23 road race champion Lorenzo Finn.

The Dane showed so much promise as a junior road and MTB racer that Lidl-Trek signed him directly to a four-year contract with its WorldTour team last winter.

The latest warning of the danger of an accelerating sport

Philipsen’s crash is just the latest reminder of the dangers of a sport that’s constantly getting faster.

Some of those who fell in the 100kph crash at the AlUla Tour in early February are still in recovery.

Meanwhile, the UCI is looking for solutions to the safety crisis.

Its bid to introduce gear restrictions to reduce racing speeds is still bogged down in a legal battle with SRAM, but the governing body is working to make GPS tracking mandatory in competition.

Teams and suppliers are working in the meantime to create materials that reduce the fallout of crashes that are becoming increasingly severe. Skinsuit airbag technology could be coming to the peloton very soon.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever truly been scared after a crash,” Philipsen wrote Tuesday. “Fortunately, I was found quickly, and a group of people did an amazing job handling the situation until the ambulance arrived.

“A special thank you to [retired pro] Amund Jansen, [team Trinity rider] Henry Coote, and everyone else who was there — you all made a huge difference. And a big thanks as well to [Lidl-Trek staffer] Xabier Zabal for being there at the hospital, and to everyone at Lidl-Trek for all the support.”

Philipsen shares toll of crash