The cyclists sometimes need to be hospitalized due to injuries such as collarbone, rib, or arm fractures. However, Anders Halland Johannessen and Jonas Hvideberg were recently hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning, abbreviated as CO, after participating in a team activity at a go-kart track.
Team meeting at Kart track
It happened during a Uno-X Mobility team meeting, involving Anders Halland Johannessen and Jonas Hvideberg. The cyclists from the Norwegian team were taken to an indoor go-kart track, with the challenge of completing as many laps as possible in three and a half hours.
“I really like karting, and that’s why I was always on the kart track. I didn’t go out for fresh air,” Johannessen told Norwegian TV2.
“We are competitive guys,” adds his teammate Hvideberg. “Everyone could drive a bit, but we quickly realized that we were at the top of the leaderboard, so we spent a lot of time in the kart. By the end of the race, the other competitors were tired, so we could spend more time in the kart.”
Symptoms after the event
Initially, there didn’t seem to be any problems for Johannessen and Hvideberg, but once outside, the first symptoms resurfaced. Both felt nauseous after the race and started vomiting.
“It really wasn’t normal. I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore, so I sent a message to our team doctor,” Johannessen describes. “When he entered our hotel room, I was quite worried.”
Rushed to the hospital
The Uno-X Mobility team doctor sounded the alarm, and the two athletes were rushed to a hospital in Copenhagen. Doctors quickly reached the diagnosis: carbon monoxide poisoning. Johannessen and Hvideberg were placed on a ventilator.
“We received good support from the hospital and our team. The doctor, the coach, and my brother Tobias were with us all night.”
As a precaution, the cyclists were taken to another hospital in the Danish capital, but Johannessen and Hvideberg recovered quickly and returned to normal after a few days.
“I’m not sure if we were in worse shape than our teammates who were with us on the same night we ended up in the hospital,” Johannessen says with a relieved smile.