Back on October 2, 22-year-old French cyclist Ronan Augé suffered a horrific crash during the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, leaving him with seven fractures, a collapsed lung, and facial nerve damage. After spending weeks in hospital and facing a long road to recovery, the young rider is finally making his way back home to Pau, France, but on a stretcher. Despite the ordeal, Augé has managed to keep his sense of humor alive, sharing a lighthearted moment with his followers as he travels home.

On October 18, Augé shared three Stories on Instagram as he travelled home. In the first, he was seen lying on a medical stretcher inside an aircraft cabin, wearing a blue-and-white cervical neck brace to support his injured neck. A white bandage covered his left forearm, while an IV cannula also appeared to remain attached to his other arm. “Back home 🥰,” he wrote across the picture, adding the route “Singapore ➡️ Paris” to mark his journey.

However, it was his next Story that showed his playful side. Sharing another picture of himself lying on the stretcher inside the aircraft, Augé wrote, “Upgrade confirmed: Welcome to Medical Class!” He added at the bottom, “Business Class < Medical Class 😎,” jokingly suggesting that being transported on a medical stretcher was an upgrade from a business-class seat.

In his third Story, which appeared to show him after arriving home, Augé continued to find humour in his situation. A large white eye patch covered his left eye, seemingly related to the facial paralysis he had previously discussed. “Facial paralysis means being unable to close one’s eye… ‼️ But a childhood dream of mine is finally coming true ‼️,” he wrote. He then added, “I’m a pirate! 😎”

Behind the jokes, however, Augé is still recovering from a serious accident that left him facing an uncertain road back to health. The crash happened during Stage 6 of the Tour of Langkawi, which ran from Pandan Indah to Rembau in Malaysia. According to reports quoting his father, former professional cyclist Stéphane Augé, Ronan was travelling at around 70 km/h on a descent when he touched the rear wheel of the rider ahead of him. He lost control and struck a lamppost with considerable force.

He was then rushed to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, where doctors treated his extensive injuries. His condition was serious enough for them to place him in a medically induced coma to help manage his treatment. The first encouraging news arrived on October 3, when the team announced that Augé had woken from the coma. He was able to move his arms and legs and communicate with those around him.

As he began recovering, the full extent of his injuries became clearer. Augé later revealed that he had suffered nearly seven fractures, affecting his tibia, elbow, cervical vertebrae, ribs, fingers and skull. He also sustained a pneumothorax. Also, his neck injuries included fractures to the C6 and C7 vertebrae, which form part of the cervical spine. 

One of the most difficult effects of the crash has been the damage to the facial nerve on the right side of his face. In an update report on October 18, Augé revealed that around 50% of his face remained paralysed. The damage has affected his ability to move his facial muscles normally, including closing one eye, which explains the eye patch seen in his latest Story.

Despite the setback, the young cyclist remains hopeful that he will recover with time and rehabilitation. He has also acknowledged that surgery could be considered if the condition does not improve. “I’m not giving up on my dreams. I promise I’ll give everything I have, fight every single day, and never stop believing,” he wrote in a message about his recovery.

Those dreams have been shaped by years of hard work, with his journey in cycling beginning long before he secured his first professional victory.

Ronan Augé’s promising cycling career

Ronan Augé’s journey in cycling began at just seven years old. He initially competed in BMX and mountain biking before turning his attention to road racing. His early dedication started to pay off in 2022, when he won Stage 2b of the Trophée Centre Morbihan, an international junior race. He also finished second at La Bernaudeau Junior and placed fifth on a stage of the Saarland Trofeo after earning selection for the French national team. 

In 2023, Augé took another important step by joining the Groupama-FDJ Continental development team, where he continued to gain experience against strong competition. He finished seventh at the Grand Prix de la ville de Pérenchies that year before securing third place at the Grand Prix de Nogent-sur-Oise in 2024. 

His progress continued in 2025 with CIC-U-Nantes, as he recorded several encouraging results, including third place at the Grand Prix de Plouay and second-place finishes on stages of the Tour de Bretagne and Tour de Roumanie.  The breakthrough he had been working towards finally arrived in June 2026 at the Route d’Occitanie.

Augé initially crossed the line second in the Stage 2 sprint, but after the race jury relegated Noa Isidore for irregular sprinting, he was promoted to first place. It gave Augé his first professional victory. Later that year, Augé joined Unibet Rose Rockets on a two-year contract. He continued competing in prominent races, including Paris-Roubaix, and recorded fifth place at Heistse Pijl. At the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, he finished fourth on both Stage 1 and Stage 3.

Just as Augé was gaining momentum and looking ahead to the next stage of his career, the crash in Malaysia brought his progress to a sudden halt.