Cofidis rider in serious condition after Tour of Oman crash - French team shares extensive list of injured riders

Cofidis has stepped down to ProTeam level this year and has been having a rough start to the season. Several riders are currently out of action, and that includes Damien Touzé who has been left in serious condition after his crash at the Tour of Oman.

The French team already has a victory in the 2026 season, taken by Bryan Coquard at the Grand Prix La Marseillaise, and came very close to winning again last weekend through Alex Aranburu in Portugal at the Figueira Champions Classic, finishing behind António Morgado of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, and in Spain at the Clásica de Almería through Milan Frentin, behind Biniam Girmay of the NSN Cycling Team.

On the other hand, away from racing, some of the team’s riders are still licking their wounds. The wave of bad luck that has been following the French ProTeam had another episode at the Tour of Oman, a far more serious one that may even have compromised the entire season of one of its riders.

This concerns 29-year-old rider Damien Touzé, who suffered a very serious crash on the stage 4 of the high-speed race won by Erlend Blikra. His teammate, Spaniard Sergio Samitier, was also involved in the crash.

But let’s focus on Damien Touzé, as his 2026 season may already be over. His team issued a medical update on its riders, and for the Frenchman:

"The preliminary assessment currently shows an intestinal perforation that required emergency surgery."

"He also suffered a ruptured spleen, as well as polytrauma to the leg: a tibia fracture, ruptures of the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, and the anterior cruciate ligament."

"Meanwhile, his wife has joined him in hospital in Muscat to support him. His repatriation is planned soon to a hospital near his home in Belgium."

"At present, his leg is immobilised for that purpose with a cast from the groin to the foot."

Sergio Samitier, for his part, "fractured the radial head, and a scaphoid fracture is also suspected on the X-ray. A radial head fracture can be treated conservatively (without surgery). He will undergo further examinations (MRI and CT scan) tomorrow and Friday. If the scaphoid is indeed fractured, surgery may be required."

Another rider currently off the bike is British rider Oliver Knight. Knight began his season in Spain at the Clàssica Camp de Morvedre (1.1), a race he did not finish.

After that, he was knocked down "during a training ride and broke his fifth metacarpal. He underwent surgery at the hospital in Herentals, Belgium. His recovery is progressing well and he has already resumed training on the rollers. His stitches will be removed on Wednesday."

Another absentee in 2026 is Camille Charret. The 19-year-old, who raced last year for Vélo Club Villefranche Beaujolais (CT), moved to Arkéa B&B Hotels in August before signing a two-year contract with Cofidis.

Charret crashed "during training and broke his collarbone and a finger. He underwent surgery on both fractures. The collarbone fracture appears to be almost healed, and the pin in his finger will be removed on Wednesday. His orthopaedic specialist has given him the green light to train outdoors."

Cofidis currently still has two riders in recovery following medical issues that occurred in 2025.

They are 31-year-old Ludovic Robeet, who is "still in rehabilitation after the stroke he suffered at the beginning of September", and Valentin Ferron, whose contract with the team expires this year, and who "continues to recover from surgery on his inguinal artery in October 2025. He returned to racing last Sunday in Almería, but was involved in a crash that caused only minor abrasions."