Dutch mountain biker Mathieu Van der Poel blames removal of access ramp for crash that sent him to Tokyo hospital

[ad_1]

Breadcrumb Links Olympic Sports

Van der Poel was considered one of the big favorites for gold, but gave up in the fifth round

Author of the article:

Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel crashes in cross-country final REUTERS / Jonne Roriz Photo by STRINGER / REUTERS Article content

Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel avoided a serious injury after his dramatic accident in the first round of the mountain bike event on Monday, his team confirmed.

Content of the article

The 26-year-old, who wore the yellow jersey for six days on the Tour de France before heading to Japan, hovered over his handlebars after crossing a boulder in the first lap.

Mathieu was subsequently examined, but a CT scan and an x-ray showed no fractures. Van der Poel is at the runners’ hotel and ate with the team. He’s moving a bit stiff, national coach Gerben de Knegt said in a statement.

Van der Poel was considered one of the big favorites for gold and looked distraught after retiring in the fifth round after battling hard on the rugged course.

His crash, in which he seemed to slow down too much to fly off the boulder, saw him fall forward and land painfully in the dust. It took him over a minute to continue.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Final Men’s Cross Country Mountain Bike Izu MTB Race Shizuoka, Japan, July 26, 2021. Mathieu van der Poel from the Netherlands after crashing in the REUTERS Cross Country Final / Jonne Roriz Photo by STRINGER / REUTERS

At first I felt there was still something I could do, but after a few laps the pain got too much, said Van der Poel.

Content of the article

The only thing I can fault myself is that I didn’t explicitly tell him in advance that the board was gone.

It ended a miserable few days for the Dutch team after Sunday’s women’s road race in which Annemiek van Vleuten mistakenly believed she had won after crossing the finish line more than a minute behind Anna Kiesenhofer, winner of the solo shock.

The powerful Dutch quartet comprising 2012 and 2016 Olympic champions Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen made a huge miscalculation and failed to chase down the Austrian who they apparently didn’t realize was still alone . (Report by Martyn Herman edited by Mark Potter)

[ad_2]