Route in criticism
Several fracture: German cycling professional fell heavily
28.03.2025 – 07:15 a.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Four fierce falls had been given on the last kilometers of the Brugge-de Panne. A German cycling professional was seriously injured her back.
The German cyclist Nikias Arndt will be missing his team Bahrain-Victorious for a long time. As the team announced on Thursday, the 33-year-old suffered a stable break of a vertebra at the Brugge-de Panne’s one-day race. He contracted the injury in the event of a fall in the final phase of the race.
Arndt was operated on in Belgium after the accident. According to his team, the intervention was successful. In the coming days, the driver should start with rehab to work on his mobility. “We hope that he will be on the bike again in the next two months,” said Bahrain-Victorious in a statement.
The race itself was overshadowed by several serious accidents on the last kilometers. A total of four falls occurred shortly before the finish. Prominent names such as Olav Kooij from the Netherlands and Tim Merlier, the current European champion from Belgium, were also affected. The route of the organizers afterwards came under criticism.
Arndt’s teammate Phil Bauhaus was able to secure a top place in a confusing final: when the Colombian Sebastián Molano was victorious, he finished fourth.
