Darren van Bekkum suffers same injury as Jonas Vingegaard from nasty Amstel Gold Race crash

Darren van Bekkum joined the XDS Astana Team for the 2025 season, making the step up to the WorldTour after leaving Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s development squad. It was supposed to be a move that would see him grow into the men’s peloton, and establish himself as a promising rider.

However, the 23-year-old and his new team endured a difficult day at the Amstel Gold Race last Sunday. The Kazakh squad saw almost all of its riders involved in crashes and were unable to contest the race for any meaningful results.

Among those worst affected was van Bekkum. In his first year as a professional, the Dutch rider suffered a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) as a result of the crash he was caught up in during the race. A significant spell away from competition now awaits him as he begins his recovery. Remember, this is the same injury Jonas Vingegaard suffered after his horrendous crash in the Basque country last year.

It’s an unfortunate setback for van Bekkum, who had a strong season in 2024. He claimed overall victory at the Ronde de l’Isard and finished second at the Istrian Spring Trophy, highlighting his potential.

But for now, the focus will be on recovery before he can resume building on that early promise. Thankfully for Astana, last weekend’s unlucky day in the Netherlands should not badly disrupt what has been an otherwise very promising start to 2025, as they fight to secure their World Tour status. Hopefully, van Bekkum will be back in action soon.