Friend Affini on Van Hooydonck: "Stopped the car immediately after reading Wout van Aert's message in our group chat"

Affini took us back to the moment when he received the news about his teammate's accident after the European Mixed Relay Championships. "When I heard about Nathan's situation, I was in the car. I was reading a message from Wout in our WhatsApp group with the riders, and I saw 'accident Nathan,' so I immediately stopped the car and began reading the entire message."

"It was a profound shock," Affini still speaks with visible emotion when recalling that moment. "I was deeply saddened by the news, but above all, I hoped that he would survive. Cycling is important, but it's not everything. It's our sport, our passion, and a significant part of our lives, but it's not life itself. His wife is expecting a baby, so I was also relieved to hear the final news that his wife and baby were safe, and things are going somewhat okay," the Italian added while crossing his fingers.

"Nathan has to quit cycling, but he can continue living. That's the most crucial thing," the Mantua-born cyclist, who has a Dutch girlfriend and therefore speaks Dutch fluently, concluded. "I've raced alongside Nathan on numerous occasions. We always had a strong connection. Just 48 hours before the accident, we were still celebrating our performance in the Tour of Britain. The night before, we were texting each other about how things went, and then the next day, he's in critical condition in the hospital... There's nothing you can do; you feel utterly helpless," Affini emphasized.

Van Hooydonck is not the first such incident to occur; in 2022, a similar situation happened to Sonny Colbrelli, a fellow countryman of Affini, during the Tour of Catalonia. Colbrelli has already reached out to Van Hooydonck on Instagram following the news. "Perhaps Sonny can relate to what Nathan is currently going through. I saw his post; maybe someday they can connect and talk. I don't know, but for now, the situation is really tough. The fact that Nathan is expecting a baby might offer some distraction, but it's undeniably challenging."