"Close to the pain of my leg accident" - Chloé Dygert finally takes a step forward in her recovery with a double-surgery
CyclingSaturday, 15 August 2026 at 01:00
Chloé Dygert has not pinned on racing numbers sicne her crash at the Paris-Roubaix. The American rider's recovery has been going anything but smooth. Complications kept ramping up, until she has decided to take matters into her own hands with a double-surgery.
She suffered shoulder damage in the crash, which she learnt two months later wasn't healing as envisioned and thus would require a surgical intervention. In addition to that, she was diagnosed with RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), and imaging picked up a collapsed nasal valve.
"I made the decision to schedule my surgeries as close together as possible to shorten my overall recovery time and keep moving forward with the progress I’d been making with my shoulder. The worst best decision I’ve ever made," she opens her Instagram story, comparing to the injury which nearly ended her career in 2020.
"I have to say, my leg accident is hard to top on the pain scale, but this combination came in at a very close second."
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"Less than three weeks after shoulder surgery, I was rear-ended (I was not at fault) and ended up with whiplash through an already-recovering shoulder, which extended my recovery and still under review as it’s impossible to know what damage could have been done with the limited amount of mobility I have and inability to have another MRI as it would just be a mess from surgery."
"Then, the following week, I underwent nasal surgery - which ended up being more extensive than originally planned. Significant deviated cartilage and bone were removed, including deeper portions of my septum and maxillary crest. My septum was reconstructed using my own cartilage, with grafts placed on both sides to repair and stabilize my nasal valves. Both inferior turbinates were also reduced to improve airflow, and splints were stitched in place afterward."
Dygert admitted that the complications already would've been enough, even without the car accident which was a bit over the top for the American.
"Each surgery on its own would have been annoying enough, but combining the two recoveries with a car accident in the middle has made this one of the harder stretches. I’ve been through in a while."
The combined pain at the moment is only sustainable thanks to the view of better tomorrow where Dygert will be able to cycle pain-free. "I know that in a few weeks, this will all be worth it and eventually just another memory," she concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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