French rider Lucie Jounier says she was ‘deliberately knocked down’ by driver in crash that left her unconscious
The 23-year-old had finished Paris-Roubaix days before the incident, which left her with a concussion and a broken hand.
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French rider Lucie Jounier says she was deliberately knocked down by a car driver while out training this week.
The 23-year-old Arkéa rider, who rode Paris-Roubaix last weekend, was training in Brittany, France, when the incident occurred. She was left with a concussion, a trapezoid fracture, and several cuts and abrasions to her face as a result of the incident. She also lost consciousness in the crash.
Jounier is in her third season as a professional with the Arkéa squad. She took fourth at GP Oetingen, which was won by Lorena Wiebes, earlier this year and finished just outside the top 10 at Le Samyn des Dames.
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“I’m normally used to making more cheerful posts, but I think it’s important to denounce this kind of behavior,” Jounier wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of her arm in a cast. “I who thought that the problems were behind me, this is apparently not the case.
“I was deliberately knocked down by a car on a descent on Tuesday in training. Without reason, we were overtaken, cutting us off. Then the driver slammed the breaks. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid the fall. Result: Loss of consciousness and trapezoid fracture. Human stupidity will never end.”
The driver of the car did not stop following the crash. Jounier was taken to the hospital where she was treated for her injuries. It’s not yet clear when she will be able to race again.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back to competition, but I hope to be back on my bike soon,” she said. “I received many messages, thank you all for the attention. Unfortunately, I can’t answer it right now since I have to stay away from screens following the concussion, but I promise I’ll take the time to read everything.”