"I've just been trying to survive": Lennert Van Eetvelt reveals he has been racing the Tour with a broken rib
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 09:00
Lennert Van Eetvelt has revealed that he has been racing the Tour de France with a broken rib, explaining the struggles that have hampered his performance since the first rest day.
A painful setback
The Lotto-Intermarché climber made a solid start to the race, but his form quickly worsened after crashing during stage 10 to Le Lioran. Around 100 kilometers from the finish, the Belgian hit the ground, and he has been battling through the pain ever since.
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"I broke my rib on Tuesday, and since then I've just been trying to survive. It comes and goes. Sometimes I feel a bit better, but in general the Tour is already hard enough when you're completely healthy. Right now, my goal is simply to reach Paris." Van Eetvelt said before the start of stage 14.
The injury is another cruel blow for the 24-year-old, whose relationship with the Tour has been anything but straightforward. During his debut in 2025, he was forced to abandon after crashes at the Belgian National Championships and again in the opening week of the Tour.
Lennert Van Eetvelt at the 2026 Tour de France team presentation
Finishing the Tour as the main objective
With several mountain stages still to come, Van Eetvelt knows the hardest part of the race is still ahead. "I actually feel better on the bike than I do at night," he said. "The biggest problem is when I have to go all-out and breathe deeply, because that's when I get sharp pain. I can also tell my body isn't responding the way I want it to."
The high pace of recent stages has only made matters worse. "I was swearing a lot yesterday because we were riding so fast," he said. "I think we averaged around 55 km/h in the first hour. The fact that I can still stay with the peloton shows I'm doing reasonably well, but I'm not at 100 percent, and you need to be at 100 percent in the Tour."
As a result, the Belgian has been forced to completely rethink his ambitions. "If things suddenly improve miraculously, I'll be very happy," Van Eetvelt concluded. "But I don't expect that."
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- I guerss you really don't have reading comprehension to understand sarcasm ! Look it up clown !frieders320-07-2026
- Your 'god' got beat today by the rider you despise more than Jonas ! LOL !frieders320-07-2026
- Tadeg did comment that the stage wasn't as hard as the previous stage since once the break formed it was cruise mode to the last climb. So not a 'wearing' stage in that sense where the Alp stages will be with multiple big climbs which will probably be Remco's kryptonitefrieders320-07-2026
- ton of people on this site trash lance any chance they get and now we see that those same people that trash lance are against doping controls that comply with the ruleswhkman20-07-2026
- I'd say as hid last race it is unlikely but imminent retirement is quite possible
Rafionain-Glas20-07-2026 - I didn't like the last climb. Pog has now gifted 2 stages he could easily have won. Ok, he really likes IDT but this is the Tour. He's just playing around, amazing to see someone so dominant. Don't think I'll see another one like him before I check out.Santiago20-07-2026
- If you put together several interviews, the clues are there to suggest it. He's spoken about quitting professional cycling over the winter (yes, he said he was enjoying it again after a change in program). He's spoken about "completing" cycling after winning the Giro and not being sure what else he has to do/prove. I think several stages of this Tour made him realize defeating Tadej is unlikely. That near-death crash a few years ago is still there... a bad crash is bound to bring up some memories. Jonas has said time and time again that his family is #1 and how much he dislikes being away from them for cycling/training. He's also been doubling down on his post-cycling career with a rather substancial real estate portfolio in Denmark. Sure, he has a contract and a good salary to go with it - but that's more time away from his family while he could easily live comfortably if he retired tomorrow. I hope I'm wrong; I'd love to see him chase more races .. just saying it's a possibility.JBlake20-07-2026
- You're probably the only one. There was no way that Pogačar would have intentionally passed up a chance to win. He looked easy because he couldn't really sprint after the work he'd done.Rafionain-Glas20-07-2026
- except pogacar was being drug tested according to the rules, not harassed by Australian teenie bopperswhkman20-07-2026
- The title portrays it as though he sacrificed his own safety for Pogačar. In reality, had he hit Pogačar, they'd both have crashed, so for Torito to crash on his own was the obvious decision to make.Rafionain-Glas20-07-2026
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