Almost a dozen fractures and a collapsed lung - EF rider in intensive care following Heistse Pijl crash

The 2026 Heiste Pijl ended in success for EF Education-EasyPost as Noah Hobbs took the victory in Heist-op-den-Berg, but the team finished the race without Mikkel Honoré, who suffered a high-speed collision with a barrier and was taken to intensive care due to the multiple injuries he endured.

The Belgian race was nearing its end when, with 6 kilometers to go, Honoré rode directly into road furniture, unable to avoid it as the peloton moved at high speed in the urban environment.

The Danish rider was highly likely to race the Tour de France this summer and his injuries come as an obstacle to the American team's ambitions, which should be led by Ben Healy and Richard Carapaz.

Kasper Asgreen is also targeting it whilst the fourth man who is virtually confirmed is the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes' new leader Alex Baudin, who is continuing the team's strong streak of results this month.

“We were involved in several crashes in the final part of the race. The last one involved Mikkel," team DS Ken Vanmarcke said at the finish. Honoré was taken to intensive care as a result, as his injuries were numbered by Vanmarcke:

He crashed really hard and the day after the race he is still in intensive care in hospital. Mikkel is stable, but he has broken seven ribs, three vertebrae and his collarbone. He is also dealing with a collapsed lung. That is very tough and it will be a long recovery.”

The very difficult situation overshadowed the team's victory this Sunday on what was one of the most important build-up races towards the Tour de France. A recovery date cannot yet be outlined.

“Ten minutes later, we win the Heistse Pijl with our young talent Noah Hobbs, but you cannot celebrate that in a big way when someone is crying out in pain," he admitted.