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Uno-X riders suffer carbon monoxide poisoning during end-of-season gathering

Anders Halland Johannesen and Jonas Iversby Hvideberg hospitalized after inhaling dangerous fumes while go-karting

January 2, 2024
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A year-end celebration for the Norwegian/Danish Uno-X took a turn for the worse when some of the riders suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while riding go-karts.

“I thought: ‘This is not normal,'” Anders Halland Johannesen said to the Norwegian TV2 channel.

“It started with me throwing up. Five minutes later, I was off the cliff. We realized reasonably quickly that this was serious stuff,” says Jonas Iversby Hvideberg.

Fun times mixed with dangerous fumes

Alongside the entire management and support staff of the  team, the two riders were gathered outside Copenhagen for an afternoon at an indoor track.

The group of 90 people was divided into teams, competing to complete the most laps in 3.5 hours.

“I was so excited. Go-karting is the most fun thing I know, so I was inside the hall all the time and was never out to take a break or get some fresh air,” Halland Johannessen added. “In addition, we are competitive people. Everyone got to drive a little bit, but we quickly saw who had the fastest laps. The two of us were high on that list, so there was a lot of time in the go-kart.”

Toward the end of the evening, many others lost interest. But for Anders Halland Johannesen and Jonas Iversby Hvideberg, that meant they could have even more fun with the track to themselves. When they exited the indoor arena and started their walk back to the hotel, they noticed the first signs that something was amiss.

“My head was dizzy and heavy. So I lay down a little before we gathered for dinner. I just got,” Hvideberg said.

The same could be said for his teammate who had begun vomiting.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes open and messaged the team doctor. When he entered the room, I was reasonably out of town. It was probably an unpleasant experience for those around us to see how bad we were,” Halland Johannessen added.

The riders were escorted to a waiting car and immediately transported to the hospital. There, carbon monoxide poisoning was confirmed, a condition that, in the worst case, can be fatal. The duo was placed in separate beds and treated with oxygen.

“We received good follow-up both from the hospital and by the team. The doctor, the coach, and my brother, Tobias, were all night with us,” he added.

2023 was a good year for the Uno-X team, with the Scandinavian squad securing a wild card entry to the Tour de France. For 2024, they signed Danish star Magnus Cort.