Van Vleuten suffers wrist fracture, but eyes return to form at Giro-Tour double

Annemiek van Vleuten has had a successful end to her spring campaign, however she will have to wait to return to competition as the Movistar Team rider suffered a training crash and a fracture in her wrist.

In a recent press release, the team have stated: "The Movistar Team regrets to inform that her leader Annemiek van Vleuten sustained a broken right wrist after a training crash on Thursday... While no timeline has been set on Van Vleuten’s recovery, the doctors’ assessment on her fractures after surgery confirms a full recovery is to be expected."

This came shortly after her win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which saw her take her first win since Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, in a spring where she saw strong competition from the likes of Lotte Kopecky and Marta Cavalli who stepped in the way of the veteran's dominance.

"As the Movistar Team management remains committed to putting health before any sporting goals, no plans have been established on Van Vleuten’s return to racing," the team added. This will see her absent from her initial plans, which passed through racing the Navarra Classics, Itzulia Women and Vuelta a Burgos later this month.

The consequences aren't too severe though, as the team is confident that she will return to racing in time, and be able to properly prepare for the Giro d'Italia Donne and the Tour de France Femmes which will be her main goals in the second part of the season.