Audrey Cordon-Ragot pulls out of UCI Road World Championships after suffering stroke

“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote”} }”>

WOLLONGONG, Australia (VN) — Audrey Cordon-Ragot has revealed that she will miss this year’s world championships after suffering a stroke last week.

The French rider had already pulled out of the time trial events, citing health reasons, but was still hoping to contest next Sunday’s road race. However, she announced Saturday that she would not be heading to Australia at all as she recovers from the stroke.

Cordon-Ragot had recently finished second overall at the Simac Ladies Tour, winning the time trial, and she would have been a contender for a medal in Wollongong. In a series of Tweets on Saturday, she said that the stroke was not detected right away , but quick work by medical professionals meant she was treated in time.

“Life always has surprises in store for you and this week more than ever, I learned that life is far more important than anything else,” she said. “My non-presence at the next world championships, which many people have allowed themselves to qualify as whims, fear of losing, lack of respect for the French team… and so on, is due to a stroke, which I was a victim last Sunday.

Also read:

“[It was] not detected right away, I was lucky (yes I say lucky) to be surrounded by medical staff (thank you Gwenaëlle Madouas, Maryline Salvetat, and Mathieu Le Strat) who strongly advised me to carry out a MRI which surely saved my life.

“[It is] difficult to explain how I feel, I am exhausted, drained, sad, but at the same time so grateful and happy to have been able to return home to my loved ones. The moral of the story is that I understood how much I loved my family, my life more than anything and that I would not let anything or anyone take away the privilege of enjoying it 200 percent.

As a result of the stroke, Cordon-Ragot will finish her season early so that she can continue her recovery and seek further treatment.

“I will observe a rest period and undergo an operation to resolve the heart problem that caused my accident. Thank you to all the people who asked about me, who surrounded me: my family, my friends, the French cycling federation, my team, and the nursing staff of the Center Hospitalier du Center Bretagne.”

Cordon-Ragot concluded her message with the line, “to love vigorously is to live vigorously.”

Ma non présence sur les prochains championnats du monde, que beaucoup de gens se sont permis de qualifier de caprices, peur de perdre, non respect de l’équipe de France… et j’en passe, est due à un accident vasculaire cérébral, dont j’ai été victime, Dimanche dernier.

— Audrey CORDON-RAGOT (@CordonRagot) September 17, 2022