Accidents in training are unfortunately common for professional riders. It happened to six Giant-Alpecin riders in January, near Calpe. Most of them suffered significant injuries. The involved driver, a Briton who was driving a car on the left-hand side of the rode, will soon have to face the charge of having driven recklessly before the criminal judge of Denia.

The terrible accident created fear throughout the cycling community in January. John Degenkolb, winner of Paris-Roubaix, suffered a broken arm, a big cut to his leg and almost lost a finger. Chad Haga had to be operated in the neck, chin and also suffered a fracture of the orbit. Warren Barguil sustained broken wrist, Max Walsheid broke his tibia and a hand. Ramon Sinkeldam and Fredrik Ludvigsson were also affected but suffered only minor injuries. The riders explained that the car was driving in the middle of the road at the exit of a corner and could not avoid the group. The care was driven by a 73-year-old woman.

In early December, she will appear before the Magistrate of Dénia. The ruling will be important because the team is seeking damages. Iwan Spekenbrik, manager of Giant - Alpecin (Sunweb - Giant in 2017) hopes that the closure of the case will allow the riders to turn a page and leave the consequences of this terrible accident behind. The outcome will also be groundbreaking from a legal point of view. It is well-known that victims of accidents can seek damages for lost work but the recognition of a loss of competitiveness for a team is a new concept. It is unusual to see a team being so much involved in such procedure.

The criminal case will begin in December.