"Senseless violence... We were all in shock" - Decathlon's key domestique out of action after a training hit-and-run accident
Cycling
The main focus of Decathlon CMA CGM in July has been on the Tour de France where their starlet Paul Seixas made a promising debut by finishing 4th overall. For the rest of the French team, the past month has been mainly about training, but even that is often far from "simple" as Stan Dewulf has learned the hard way.
During a training ride with his Decathlon teammates in the Les Arcs ski area last week, things went wrong all of sudden when a campervan driver made a dangerous maneuver whilst passing the small group, causing Dewulf to crash. The consequences for the 28-year-old Belgian were immediate: a fractured elbow.
"There was absolutely nothing wrong, until a van decided to overtake us on a straight stretch of road," Dewulf tells his story to Het Nieuwsblad. "The driver turned right again much too quickly, straight into our group."
Pierre Gautherat, who was riding in the lead, had to swerve suddenly. Léo Bisiaux then braked, causing Dewulf to tap a rear wheel and fall to the ground. Examination revealed that he sustained a minor fracture in the radial head of his left arm.
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Not an accident
The worst part is that despite being the primary cause of their accident, the driver kept on driving as if nothing had happened. Even though Dewulf is absolutely positive that he must've been aware of the situation he has created.
"That driver must have seen in his mirror what he had caused, but instead of stopping, he just drove on. We were all in shock."
The Belgian does not rule out the possibility that it was a deliberate act. "It felt like a form of senseless violence. There was absolutely no reason for it. We hadn't encountered that van before. It really came out of nowhere."
Calls for justice
A teammate managed to sprint after the vehicle following the crash and took a photo of the license plate to help pursue charges. The other riders from the training group also want to testify.
"I hope we can build a strong case," said Dewulf. "I want to do everything in my power to get justice."
"It is the first time I have been sidelined in such an unfair way," he says. "I need some time to process this. After that, we will look at what the best plan is for my recovery."
Thus far, Dewulf completed 36 race days in the 2026 season which could be considered his breakthrough thanks to a 4th place at E3 Saxo Classic and 2nd in the queen stage of 4 Jours de Dunkerque which allowed Dewulf to finish 4th overall.
For the second half of 2026, Dewulf was preparing to play a key role at the Renewi Tour whilst in the wider nomination for Vuelta a Espana alongside Léo Bisiaux. To wrap up the year, Dewulf would ride a block of one-day races and possibly return to the Tour of Guangxi. Participation at the gravel World Championships is also on the cards.
However the focus shifts to recovery now. Dewulf will spend a week off bike before a further check-up will decide the next steps to treat his injury and whether surgery is required.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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