Mathieu Van der Poel suffered a minor fracture to his wrist following his double crash during the MTB World Cup race in Nové Mesto. Alpecin-Deceuninck confirmed that it was a small avulsion fracture of the scaphoid bone, which also indicates damage to the ligaments in the wrist.

The immediate consequences of this injury will force VDP to miss the first part of the team's planned altitude training camp in the Alps. At the moment there is no certainty as to how this problem will affect his participation in the Critérium du Dauphiné and especially the Tour de France .

The team maintains a cautious approach specifying that: " the injury will be the subject of continuous and intensive medical evaluations during the week'

Further investigations, expected towards the end of the week, could provide greater clarity on his program and possible participation in the Dauphiné.

The accident occurred during Van der Poel's first MTB race since the 2023 Olympic test event. The Dutch champion crashed after just six minutes of racing, finally abandoning the race on the third lap. His participation in the Nové Mesto race was part of his preparation for the 2028 Olympics.

The first crash occurred while attempting to pass on the outside of the group on the opening lap, losing his balance while trying to lean on another rider and ending up against the barriers. In the second crash, he again lost control of the bike on a pump track section, flying over the handlebars.

After the tests carried out in Belgium, at the Herentals hospital, only today did precise news arrive on his conditions. This setback comes after an extraordinary campaign of the Classics, with victories at Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix , and could affect his preparation for the Tour de France (5-27 July).

Better news for teammate Sam Gaze, who was also involved in a crash on Sunday: checks ruled out the feared broken arm.