Johnny Hoogerland eats nails for breakfast!

This dude is now my newest favorite rider. In his VERY FIRST Tour de France, after being in a break all day, and taking enough points to lead the King of the Mountains Competition in the Tour de France, getting taken out by a News car like he did would be enough to keep most riders down and give them cause to seriously consider abandoning the Tour.

But Johnny Hoogerland is a different sort of breed. The breed that has balls of steel, that causes him to get back on the bike and race. He raced hard enough that he STILL finished ahead of the final group of riders by over 5 minutes. That's the sort of stuff legends are made of.

Juan Antonio Flecha was also involved in the accident, as a matter of fact he was actually the rider that was taken out by the News car, and he went down HARD... I don't want to take anything away from his valiant effort in finishing the stage as well. But let's face it... Flecha didn't take out a solid wooden fence post, untangle himself from barbed wire, ride 35+ kilometers, bathed in his own blood, to the finish and pull on the Polka Dotted Jersey before going to the hospital for 33 stitches.

I figured I'd make this post about Hoogerland with a video of the wreck and a picture story of what unfolded afterwards...



And here are the pictures that tell the story of what happened during the stage and after the crash.

Hoogerland recieving medical attention from the medical
motorcycle.

Hoogerland reaches the finish (and help from his father)

Complete and utter exhaustion

An emotional claim to the King of the Mountains
Polka Dotted Jersey.

Riding with his Father on the rest day (the day after the crash)

Recieving medical attention on his "rest" day. A cold treatment
also applies pressure... for the swelling.

Johnny Hoogerland could abandon the Tour tomorrow and still be a hero. But he has publicly said that he intends to defend the Polka Dots with everything he has. For a 28 year old rider in his first ever Tour de France, Johnny Hoogerland is an EPIC bicycle racer and from now on he will truly be one of my favorite riders.