Jesse Sergent forced to retire from injuries suffered in Tour of Flanders crash

Jesse Sergent has retired from cycling aged 28 after struggling to recover from injuries suffered in a collision with a neutral service car at the Tour of Flanders

Jesse Sergent in the Elite Mens TT at the 2014 World Road Championships

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

Just over 12 months after being mown down by a neutral service car at the Tour of Flanders, Jesse Sergent (Ag2r La Mondiale) has been forced to retire from professional cycling from the complex injuries he suffered.

Sergent, then riding for Trek Factory Racing, was in the breakaway group when he was clipped by the car as it tried to pass while the group were rounding a corner.

The Kiwi, aged just 28, required three operations to fix his broken collarbone and has struggled to regain form and fitness ever since.

"It's been a tough 12 months for Jesse, with that crash he had last year, with the car hitting him," Sergent's coach Mike McRedmond told stuff.co.nz.

"That was a big setback. They thought it would take six to eight weeks, but it took him three months because they ballsed up the operation.

"That put a dampener on his year and then he changed teams and going into a French-speaking team is a very hard transition."

Sergent won stages of the Tour of Austria and the Eneco Tour, winning the general classification of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen and the Tour du Poitou Charentes in 2011.

He also formed part of the New Zealand team pursuit squads that won bronze at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.