Cian Uijtdebroeks had been planning to mark his comeback from a back injury at this weekend’s Belgian national championships, but that plan is now in doubt after the 22-year-old was struck by a driver while training.
Posting a photo of his legs from the hospital on his Instagram page, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider wrote, “Today a car, came out of his parking, crossed the road and hit me hard during training.
“Pls pay attention for vulnerable road user! If you don’t, you play with lives!”
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His team confirmed that examinations found no fractures, and Uijtdebroeks was discharged from the hospital this evening.
After his controversial early departure from his contract with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2024, Uijtdebroeks has had a string of health issues. He dropped out of the Giro d’Italia while sitting in fifth overall and wearing the best young rider’s jersey after stage 10.
He then struggled in the Vuelta a España, describing his issues as a numb feeling in his legs, before he dropped out of the race after testing positive for COVID-19 after stage 14.
A promising start to the 2025 season with fifth place overall in the Tour of Oman ended at Tirreno-Adriatico in March, where the bad sensations continued.
Attributing his issues to a back injury, Uijtdebroeks was building toward the Tour de Romandie in April but withdrew before the race with his leg issues continuing.
Having not raced since the Tour du Doubs on April 20, Uijtdebroeks remained optimistic for a return to competition this weekend, posting earlier this week on Instagram, “The last couple of months have been a period of hard work towards upcoming goals with the focus on getting the engine properly running again. I will be back in the bunch on Sunday at Nationals to enjoy the lovely Belgian crowd.”
