Mathieu van der Poel sustained a broken wrist at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in the Czech Republic on Sunday, putting his summer racing schedule, including the Tour de France, in doubt.
The Dutchman crashed twice during the XCO race in Nové Město. Due to his injuries, he then abandoned on the third lap and will now miss the first half of his team’s planned altitude training camp at Le Plagne in the French Alps in the build up to the fast approaching Tour.
"Following his double crash during the UCI MTB World Series on Sunday in Nové Město, Mathieu van der Poel has been diagnosed with a minor avulsion fracture of the scaphoid bone, indicative of ligament damage to the wrist," an update from Alpecin-Deceunick read on Monday. "This type of injury requires a cautious and carefully monitored recovery process. The timeline for resuming training and competition will depend on the evolution of swelling and pain over the coming days."
Van der Poel is next due to race at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, the last key build up race to the Tour in July. His team, however, stated that it was "premature" to put a time frame on his recovery over the coming weeks. It is likely that he will spend key preparation time off the bike.
"The injury will be subject to continued and intensive medical evaluation throughout the week. Further assessments, scheduled towards the end of the week, may offer greater clarity regarding his program and the potential for participation in the Critérium du Dauphiné," the update from Alpecin-Deceuninck concluded.
In early December, Van der Poel hinted at his team's winter training camp that he could skip the Tour in July in order to prioritise a mountain bike world title bid. The three-time Paris-Roubaix winner said that he "wouldn’t mind doing something else" and suggested that pressure from sponsors would come into his team's decision making regarding his schedule.
Van der Poel’s participation in the biggest race of the road season was confirmed in February, although his recent injury could mean that his plans are forced to change. In April 2023, Tadej Pogačar suffered a similar injury in a crash at Liège–Bastogne–Liège; he still rode the Tour de France, finishing second, but he had two months of recovery.
Prior to his mountain bike crash, Van der Poel had demonstrated top form on the road in 2025, winning Milan-Sanremo, the E3 Saxo Classic, and Paris-Roubaix for a third time in April.
