“She was unconscious. I was completely in shock” - New details emerge on horror of Urska Zigart’s “life-threatening” Tour de Suisse crash
CyclingSunday, 12 July 2026 at 15:00
New details have emerged about the horror of Urska Zigart’s Tour de Suisse Women crash, with AG Insurance – Soudal team manager Jolien D'hoore revealing the Slovenian was unconscious when she first reached her.
Zigart suffered a fractured jaw after crashing in the final kilometre of stage 2 last month. The incident left her in hospital and disrupted her build-up to the Tour de France Femmes. D'hoore, who was among the first to reach her, gave the update on Vive le Velo.
“The crash did not look good,” D'hoore said. “I was the first to get to her and she was unconscious."
"I had to step away, because it was the first time I had seen something like that," he continued his recollection. "I was completely in shock. The scene was very unpleasant.”
“Several riders were literally thrown into the air”
The crash came just before the red flag marking the final kilometre, where a speed bump caused chaos in the bunch. D'hoore said the team had warned riders over the radio, but the peloton reached the obstacle at around 60km/h.
“It was unbelievable. On the footage, we saw that several riders were literally thrown into the air,” said D'hoore. “We also warned about the danger over the radio, but in vain. When you approach an obstacle like that at around 60 kilometres per hour, it is simply life-threatening.”
Zigart hit the road heavily and was later diagnosed with a fractured jaw. Her team has since confirmed that surgery will not be required, though the effects of the crash are still shaping her preparation weeks later.
Zigart training again but still unable to eat solid food
Although Zigart has returned to the bike and is currently training at altitude, her recovery remains complicated. According to the latest update, the AG Insurance – Soudal rider is still unable to eat solid food and has to take meals in liquid or mashed form.
“She is training, but she still has to eat food in pudding form,” said D'hoore. “That is obviously not ideal, but physically she otherwise feels good. Now we have to wait and see whether she will be ready to race.”
The Tour de France Femmes begins on August 1 with a Lausanne-Lausanne opening stage, followed by stage 2 from Aigle to Geneva. Zigart is taking part in preparations, but her place on the start line remains uncertain. “She is taking part in all the preparation for the Tour, but we still have to work out whether it will even be possible for her to race,” D'hoore said.
Zigart’s recovery update has arrived while Tadej Pogacar, her partner, leads the men’s Tour de France after the opening eight stages. Before his race began, Zigart had sent him a personal message asking him to “most importantly stay safe.” After D'hoore’s account of the crash in Switzerland, those words carry a sharper edge.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I'm not so sure, going in I agreed with you. But, he hasn't really seemed to be 100% at this race. The only reason he was leading for a few days was UAE goofed on the TTT. Had they not messed up, Pogi would have been in yellow day 1. In the TTT somehow during the climb, the 2 big riders that were supposed to pull dropped off. UAE had faster times on the flats. So, 1 mistake cost a day 1 yellowmd197512-07-2026
- Spoiling it with another cheap silly title.Mistermaumau12-07-2026
- Fair enough but I prefer the MVDP version working for other team goals and even then, none of them really exude that crucial A-M ingredient in their personality, assertiveness. I’d be curious to know which recent riders you’d all consider to have been examples of A-M.Mistermaumau12-07-2026
- Well done guys, even if it failsMistermaumau12-07-2026
- alpha male is about the furthest thing from a compliment I can imagine. it's all about him. look at Tadej and Jonas, each of whom makes sure to not only constantly talk up their teammates, but actually support them in achieving their own results. Jonas giving Sepp a free reign in the Giro, an entire Vuelta Espana, Tadej giving GP Montreal to McNulty, a stage to Del Toro earlier this week and several other examples where he has worked for his teammates to set them free to win in the break. this is how you lead. by giving and respecting. not demanding and bitching.sweetishChef12-07-2026
- Good old VDP shaking things up just in time and being with an egoless bunch (kudos to Pidcock for the maturing he’s done). As for Pidcock’s mechanical, it really beats me how often pros miss out on a chance to be part of the action due to mechanicals. I ride a half shitty cheap old bike that hardly ever enjoys any kind of servicing. The only time I ever end up with mechanicals are periods when I know it’s going to happen at some point through extreme wear. Most of the guys on their tuned machines riding at my level are constantly having problems. Granted pros are pushing their equipment to the « limits » BUT firstly, their gear is (supposed to be) perfectly serviced and up to scratch, certainly not worn. And secondly, you’d think that with the price of a mechanical, teams would either demand equipment leading to fewer problems from manufacturers or go with more reliable setups. No-one is going to convince me that something mechanical in the latest setup makes you so much faster compared to proven tech that it us worth taking the risk of having a mechanical in order not to lose out on 0.0001% efficiency.Mistermaumau12-07-2026
- My good and honest MVDP, that's what happens when you're a one-dimensional cyclist in the biggest race in the world. You're popularly known as a specialist, because even though you're a legend, cycling doesn't last for a month (from march 15. to april 15.), but almost a year. I know Pogi respects you, so do I, but you have to accept the reality.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales12-07-2026
- Tadej Pogačar is facing another wave of doping allegations on social media and from skeptics following his historically dominant performances at the Tour de France. I want Vingegaard to be put through a scanner and analyzed in detail because it is impossible that in the 2nd toughest race in the world in May in the toughest sport, he made all 180+ cyclists look like amateurs with 80% strength. I want him to be examined in detail. He must be doping, just like Pogi. I want Merlier to be tested for gene doping and everything possible, because he must be cheating. Belgians, speak up!!! It is not possible that he is 5 times better than everyone else in the sprints, and he makes them look like amateurs. He must be doping, just like Pogi. I just want to hear Belgians on this topic.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales12-07-2026
- How about establishing a handicap? The TdF winner starts the next edition down by his winning margin. Gets far more interesting that way.Mistermaumau12-07-2026
- You Westerners must suffer from a complex because the Balkans are destroying you. We have Dončić, Jokić, Djoković, Pogačar-The Goat. You all have helpless pathetic ego's, and are angry and frustrated. Your journalists are once again opening up allegations about Pogi doping. Some even want to blot Pogi out, as if he doesn't exist. Greetings from sunny Split... the Balkans!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales12-07-2026
Loading
Tour de Suisse 2026 kadınlar yarışında bugünkü 2. etapta son km'nin hemen altında Urska Zigart, hız tümseğinden geçerken dengesini kaybedip yerde kaldı ve hastaneye kaldırıldı. 📽️ @Ticinonline instagram #tdf2026
Write a comment