Heartbreak for John Degenkolb as he is forced out of Paris-Roubaix - German suffers multiple fractures after Flanders crash

It was a brutal day at the Tour of Flanders for Team Picnic–PostNL, who endured one of the most difficult races in recent memory. The squad saw five riders abandon, with Enzo Leijnse, Timo Roosen, Tim Naberman, John Degenkolb, and Alex Edmondson all failing to reach the finish line. For three of them, the day ended not just with disappointment, but serious injury.

Naberman, Edmondson, and Degenkolb were all involved in a crash around 130 kilometres from the finish, and were forced to abandon soon after. Subsequent hospital checks revealed the full extent of the damage: Degenkolb suffered a broken collarbone, elbow, and wrist. Naberman sustained a fractured wrist, while Edmondson sprained his ankle.

“John will undergo surgery on his wrist, followed by a period of recovery. Expectations about his return can often change, but we expect him to be out of circulation for two months,” said team doctor Camiel Eldershof.

“At the moment Tim doesn’t need surgery but we will do another check next week to see if the situation changes but obviously he won’t be in the race while he recovers,” he added. “Alex will rest his ankle and we will see how it develops in the coming weeks.”

t was a race marred by crashes throughout the day, with several top names hitting the tarmac, including riders from UAE Team Emirates and even defending champion Mathieu van der Poel. But for Picnic–PostNL, the chaos turned into catastrophe, and the team now faces a challenging road ahead as they deal with the fallout from Flanders.