Mathieu van der Poel's long-awaited and highly-anticipated return to mountain bike racing did not go as planned for the
Alpecin-Deceuninck superstar this Sunday afternoon in at the Nove Mesto round of the World Cup.
Van der Poel's return didn't last long before a crash brought his hopes of victory to a premature end. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider's fortunes in off-road racing continue to be elusive. He previously suffered crashes in two major events — the Olympic Games in 2021 and the 2023 World Championships — both of which were key targets in his career. Unfortunately, today's race added to that streak, as he hit the ground hard once again.
To make matters worse for Alpecin-Deceuninck, Van der Poel wasn't the only rider caught up in a crash either as
Samuel Gaze also came down with a bump. As a result of this instances, both Van der Poel and Gaze have been sent to hospital for a medical check up according to
a report by Wielerflits. With a big summer still in store for the multi-discipline world champion, Van der Poel will be hoping there are no serious issues.