Xandro Meurisse hit by car after Tour de France time trial hours after Brandon McNulty also struck by vehicle in recon
CyclingWednesday, 22 July 2026 at 11:00
Stage 16 of the Tour de France saw two riders crash outside of the course, with both struck by cars in separate incidents before and after the individual time trial. Xandro Meurisse and Brandon McNulty hit the deck as a result of the unrelated incidents.
After McNulty's crash was confirmed by UAE Team Emirates - XRG before the stage, it emerged shortly after the general classification riders completed their time trial that Meurisse had been involved in an incident.
52nd place on the day, Meurisse finished more than four and a half minutes behind his winner Remco Evenepoel. On social media, the 34-year-old had previously shared images of his family standing on the sidelines.
It's reported that he was struck by a car while making his way back to the start area. His fan club posted the update on Facebook. It's unclear whether his injuries will affect his status in the race ahead of Wednesday's stage 17.
It said: “Xandro was hit by a car today while driving back to the starting point, resulting in a lot of scrapes. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow."
Brandon McNulty struck by car
Meanwhile, it comes after Brandon McNulty was hit by a car when he was doing his recon of the stage 16 time trial.
The American was riding the 26-kilometre route from Evian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains when the incident occurred. According to UAE team principal Mauro Gianetti, the vehicle involved was unrelated to the race.
“He was just riding his bike with one car behind him,” Gianetti told The Athletic.
“A normal car, we don’t know who they are. And when he overtook, he just stopped the car, and Brandon was unable to prevent himself riding into it.”
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McNulty was left on the ground after the collision, with UAE initially waiting for medical confirmation over his condition. “I hope so,” Gianetti said when first asked whether the 28-year-old would be fit enough to start. “I’m still waiting for the confirmation of the doctor.”
McNulty started the day 19th overall, but his greater importance to UAE lies in the support he can provide Pogacar during the final mountain stages.
UAE avoided the worst-case scenario with Gianetti later confirming to TNT Sports that the injuries were not serious. McNulty’s condition remained relevant, however, with the toughest mountain block of the Tour still to come and Pogacar likely to rely on him again before Paris.
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.
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- E20,900 so far...... some teams haven't earned that in prize money yet, maybe need to list the UCI Fines in the total prize fundsslappers6622-07-2026
- Cool story bro, love your work. 😘
Andrew22-07-2026 - I’ll take my tongue out my cheek for the next few comments.Andrew22-07-2026
- Evanapoel is certainly on a high. Stage 18 is going to be interesting.Cyclingsbestfan22-07-2026
- Or he could go to UAE and develop there, but I am a fan of UAE and Pogi so my view is biased. Pogi would be his good mentor, and Seixas could take over in 2030, when Pogi retires, after winning TdF 9X. :))mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales22-07-2026
- I always know what you're thinkng. I also know what your twin brother, frieder3, is thinking. Oh you poor souls, I pity both of you. You should both eat fatty fish salmon, for omega-3s, and blueberries for antioxidants. They do wonders :))mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales22-07-2026
- I agree with your general complaint but in this case you have no idea, details fail. Could just as well have been a fan who wanted to ask an autograph, got scared when he crashed into them so rode off. Also, a little silly to call everyone scumbags, some are just completely ignorant or absent-minded and other times we riders are actually also at fault or provoking other users into dangerous manoeuvres. The way some road racers ride it’s no wonder people start hating us. That said, when I last visited the Tour, it was. Tudor van that almost got a group of cycling spectators killed with an overtaking manoeuvre on the way home. You should then remember that stories like THAT have almost ZERO chance of media attention so in the end all that happens is we are left with an extreme biais on reality. To compound, much of the driving in the Tour is unnecessarily dangerous towards spectators and much of the spectating is unnecessarily dangerous towards itself. Conclusion, almost the majority of the population could fall under your definition of scumbag.Jumpyjohn22-07-2026
- Pretty sure Ineos fans are confined to a very specific subset of a another subset.Jumpyjohn22-07-2026
- Do you also wonder about Rwanda? When was the last time Pog was TT WC?Jumpyjohn22-07-2026
- Talk about BS spewing from the mouth - the BS yellow jersey goes to you Duchenne Pogi Fan Boy. I love how you know what everyone is thinking, or at least think you know what they are thinking.Andrew22-07-2026
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