Ilan Van Wilder's season over | Time-trial bronze medallist left with broken wrist after "unavoidable" crash in Kigali road race

Belgium’s plans for the elite men’s road race at the 2025 Kigali World Championships were disrupted when Ilan Van Wilder, fresh off a bronze in the individual time trial, crashed out after just 50 kilometres. His withdrawal left team leader Remco Evenepoel to chase Tadej Pogacar largely alone, yet Evenepoel still produced a remarkable performance to take silver.

Van Wilder, who had been assigned a key support role for team leader Evenepoel, was riding in an elite Belgian squad tasked with controlling the race and helping Evenepoel mount a challenge against eventual winner Pogacar. The young Belgian had shown exceptional form all week, his TT bronze underscoring a season that had steadily built towards a strong Worlds campaign.

Unfortunately, a crash that Van Wilder described on Instagram as unavoidable left him with a broken wrist, forcing him to abandon the race and immediately ending his season. “Not the way I wanted to end my first Worlds… Broke my wrist after 50km in a crash I couldn’t avoid,” he wrote. “Super disappointed to end my race and immediately also my season with great legs but unfortunately a fracture. Nevertheless, I’m happy with my season and proud of what I achieved. I’ll need some time to rest and recover but for sure I’ll be super motivated for what’s coming next.”

His withdrawal left Evenepoel to chase Pogacar largely alone, a scenario that had a decisive impact on the race dynamics. Evenepoel had been attempting to bridge back to Pogacar after a series of attacks that saw the Slovenian take a solo advantage. As the Belgian’s teammates — including Van Wilder — were gradually eliminated by the attritional pace and mechanical misfortune, Evenepoel was left to pull the remaining chase group on his own. Despite his valiant effort, he was unable to reel in Pogacar, ultimately securing silver behind the Slovenian’s dominant victory.

What had started as a promising day for Belgium, with Van Wilder poised to support Evenepoel in the critical climbs and cobbled sectors around Kigali, ended in frustration and injury. Nevertheless, his strong performances throughout the season and at the Worlds TT underline his potential and suggest that, once recovered, he will be a key figure in future Belgian campaigns.