Ronan Augé has facial paralysis after Tour de Langkawi crash

Ronan Augé is suffering from facial paralysis affecting fifty percent of his face following a crash on stage 6 of the Tour de Langkawi, cyclingnews.com reported. The 22-year-old French sprinter remains hospitalized in Malaysia more than two weeks after the October 2 incident.

The Unibet-Rose Rockets rider spent a day in a medically induced coma after sustaining multiple fractures, including injuries to his tibia, elbow, cervical vertebrae, ribs, fingers, and skull, alongside a collapsed lung. Speaking on social media over the weekend, Augé revealed that the impact damaged his right facial nerve, prompting him to joke that a new career as a professional grimacer awaits him.

Rider Leaves Hospital Room as Facial Recovery Begins

Recovery has brought physical milestones alongside unusual neurological conditions. The rider left his hospital room for the first time in more than two weeks, sharing footage of himself in a wheelchair and noting how good the movement felt. In a separate update, the rider described the facial sensation as strange but expressed optimism that normal function would return within a few months through time and rehabilitation.

Augé joined the French-registered ProTeam squad on a two-year deal ahead of the 2026 campaign after competing for the CIC-U-Nantes Continental squad and Groupama-FDJ’s development setup. In mid-June, he secured his first professional victory by winning the bunch sprint on a lumpy stage at La Route d’Occitanie. Strong early form at the Tour de Langkawi included two fourth-place finishes on the opening stages.

Surgery Remains an Option If Rehabilitation Fails

Medical intervention remains ongoing in Kuala Lumpur. Augé noted that if natural recovery and rehabilitation do not restore function to the damaged facial nerve, surgery could become an option.

Reflecting on the accident in an October 9 statement reported by cyclingnews.com, Augé acknowledged the reality of his situation. Right now, surviving the severe skeletal and internal trauma remains the primary victory, while the two-year contract structure with Unibet-Rose-Rockets provides a secured window for extensive rehabilitation before any anticipated return to the peloton.

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