Ronan Augé (Unibet Rose Rockets) has finally left hospital after more than a month of treatment and two operations following his crash at the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia. He will now begin rehabilitation at a general centre in Salies-de-Béarn before moving to CERS in Capbreton, a centre for elite athletes.
The 22-year-old Frenchman announced his discharge on Instagram on November 4. He said: “Hospital off-season is officially over! After more than a month in hospital and two surgeries that went really well, it’s time to start rehab!”
“Not heading home just yet! First stop: the rehabilitation centre in Salies-de-Béarn, followed by the CERS in Capbreton, which specializes in elite athletes. Now it’s time to get to work! A new challenge lies ahead. The road will be long, but trust me, the motivation is stronger than ever! My dream lives on! A huge thank you to everyone for all your messages!”
Augé crashed on stage six of the race in Malaysia on October 2. His team announced that he had been placed in a medically induced coma to optimise treatment and that his condition was stable and not life-threatening. He was woken the next day with the team confirming he was able to move his arms and legs as well as communicate.
His father, Stéphane Augé, a former professional, flew to Kuala Lumpur to be with him. He told Sud Ouest that, according to witnesses, the crash happened on a descent early in the stage. Ronan touched the wheel of the rider in front at around 70km/h and then hit a lamp post. He does not remember the crash itself.
In a voice message to the same newspaper on October 6, Augé described the extent of his injuries. "I'm gradually getting some energy back, even though I have a broken leg, broken ribs, broken C6 and C7 cervical vertebrae, with facial paralysis," he said. "It's going to take a long time to recover, but I'm keeping hope, it'll be all right."
The C6 and C7 cervical vertebrae are at the base of the neck, with C7 also fractured by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) in La Vuelta a month earlier. Sud Ouest also reported a fracture at the base of his skull.
After a difficult first week in a Malaysian hospital, Augé was transferred to a private clinic for additional examinations. On October 20, the team said he was back in France. He flew home via Singapore, lying on a stretcher across four aircraft seats with a doctor and a nurse. Further examinations in Bordeaux followed. The team said a facial nerve had been damaged in the crash, leaving one side of his face paralysed.
"The goal is still to race as a professional cyclist at the highest level," Unibet Rose Rockets said at the time. "There's a long road ahead, and recovery comes first, but the ambition is still there."
Augé joined the team this season from CIC-U-Nantes on a two-year contract that runs through 2027. In his first season at ProTeam level he won a sprint stage at the Route d'Occitanie and recorded eight more top-10 finishes. In Langkawi he had finished fourth in the bunch sprints on stages one and three before the crash.
