Campenaerts out with vertebra fracture from Bredene Koksijde crash

Victor Campenaerts racing during Le Samyn
Victor Campenaerts racing during Le Samyn (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Victor Campenaerts, one of the cornerstones of Lotto-Dstny's classics campaign, will be out for the next two months and miss all of the remaining Spring Classics. The 31-year-old crashed heavily in the Bredene Koksijde Classic on Friday and fractured a vertebra in his lumbar spine, his team announced.

Campenaerts was mid-pack with 53km to go, having drifted back after his team tried to split the race in the crosswinds. On a narrow section of road with a deep crack running through the middle of the tarmac a Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider shifted to avoid riding into the rut and bumped into Hugo Hofstetter (Arkéa-Samsic). The contact caused Hofstetter to fall and the crash rippled through the peloton.

Laura Weislo
Managing Editor

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.