Steven Kruijswijk from Nuenen has broken his collarbone and pelvis in a fall in the second stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The 35-year-old Jumbo-Visma cyclist cannot therefore start in the Tour de France, which will start in Bilbao on July 1.
Kruijswijk crashed early in the stage and was unable to continue. After examination in the hospital, the fractures to his collarbone and pelvis came to light.
Wilco Kelderman is probably the replacement for Kruijswijk in the selection for the Tour de France. The 32-year-old Kelderman, who was not fit enough to start in the Giro d’Italia after a fall in the spring, had already been designated as a reserve.
Very annoying
“It’s a big loss for the team,” said teammate Christophe Laporte, who retained the lead in the Critérium du Dauphiné with fourth place. “But especially personally it is very annoying for Steven.”
Kruijswijk, who extended his contract with Jumbo-Visma for two years last month, had to get off in the Tour de France last year after a fall in the fifteenth stage. He then suffered fractures in the collarbone and shoulder blade and had a dislocated shoulder.
A year earlier he had to give up sick in the Tour. In 2019 Kruijswijk finished third in the Tour de France behind Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas.