"It could have been much worse" - Dylan Groenewegen struck by motorbike in head-on collision while training
Cycling
Unibet Rose Rockets sprinter Dylan Groenewegen was struck by a motorbike in a head-on collision while training in the Netherlands on Monday. The expereinced rider has suffered minor injuries but is relieved as he claimed it could have ended differently.
Preparing for some late season goals, the collision took place on a roundabout when a motorbike did not yield for the cyclist, hitting Groenewegen. The 33-year-old suffered a muscle tear and his race schedule has now been pushed back to recover.
Opening up about the incident, Groenewegen admits he feels lucky that the complications from the crash aren't worse as he shared pictures of his bike after the crash.
"Unfortunately, my training ride ended in an accident today," the Dutchman said.
"I was involved in a collision with a motorcyclist and suffered a muscle tear around my ribs. Luckily, I escaped without any more serious injuries and feel fortunate that the consequences weren’t worse."
Muscle tear could affect sprinter's schedule
While still able to train at a less strenuous pace, the crash throws his initial schedule into doubt. He had planned to start the semi-classic GP Fourmies in France, but is now unlikely to feature.
He added: "I’m still able to ride my @rose_bikes [bicycle, Ed.], although the pain around my ribs makes it difficult to say what the injury will mean for my upcoming races. We’ll monitor how it develops and assess the situation accordingly.
"It could have been much worse, so I’m grateful to have come away from the accident with relatively minor injuries. Again A reminder to please always wear your helmet!."
A muscle tear is usually a serious injury for a sprinter, who rely on their explosivity in a dash to the line to take results. Groenewegen was already left disappointed at the recent Renewi Tour after being involved in a crash at the end of stage 2.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment