Mads Pedersen’s 2026 season couldn’t have got off to a worse start. The 2019 world champion went down in a high-speed incident towards the end of the opening stage of Volta Comunitat Valenciana and hit the ground hard – fracturing his left wrist and breaking his right collarbone, while the Lidl-Trek rider initially feared that he’d injured his back or neck.
Just 45 days later, the Dane lined up at Milan-Sanremo, narrowly missing out in the sprint for third to Wout Van Aert to finish fourth, while the remainder of his Classics season included top 10 finishes at the Tour of Flanders (5th) and Paris-Roubaix (7th).
While he will have been disappointed still not to have opened his Monument account after 24 attempts, his presence on the start line should be seen as a remarkable achievement in itself – and one that reinforces the difference between the pinnacle of the sport and the rest.
But how are WorldTour riders able to shave months off of injury recoveries compared to mere mortals?
Speed is of the essence
“Those fast recoveries are possible with pro cyclists because we have immediate diagnosis and treatment,” explains Ruben de Gendt, NSN Cycling’s team doctor. “The team like to have it done yesterday instead of tomorrow.”
The first step is a clinical assessment with imaging like X-ray or a CT scan to see if surgery is needed, but with surgery like the fitting of plates often resulting in a faster recovery, this is the preferred option.
“In the long term, it's not always better to do a surgical procedure – in general population, we will sometimes go in a more conservative way, but then we know it will take longer before they will be on the bike again,” he says. “With a surgical procedure, sometimes after one week or a couple of days, they can be on their rollers again, and by week two or three back out on the bike – but that's very case dependent.”
He explains that this was the case when his team’s Israeli sprinter Oded Kogut crashed at Scheldeprijs, fracturing his collarbone and wrist. Kogut had surgery the next morning, was fitted with a cast for his wrist, and was able to do training on a stationary bike after a couple of days.
Mads Pedersen following Tadej Pogačar at Paris-Roubaix 2026, only weeks after returning from a crash that resulted in a fractured wrist and collarbone (Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Access to experts
De Gendt says that the team’s medical experts “hold the hands” of riders throughout the recovery process, from the initial emergency assessment and dealing with surgeons, through to direct daily support from physiotherapists, nutritionists and doctors.
“We follow up daily with the rider. After surgery, we have X-rays for confirmation everything is in a good place, and we have the post-operative phase or some immobilisation phase, where the riders have to keep the arm still with a sling. Then we have pain control and wound care – they take some medication if they have pain, but it's especially important when there is a wound that it doesn't get infected.”
He highlighted the case of Colombian rider Cristian Camilo Munoz who recently died from a knee infection six days after a crash.
Better baseline
After a couple of days post-crash, De Gendt says riders are generally able to do some cardio training again – “they can go walking, hiking, or go on the rollers if it's possible with the pain and with the position of the arm” – while between two-to-four weeks they can do some light strengthening exercises and start riding outdoors again. “Riding outdoors or riding for competition is only possible when there is full range of motion, they are pain free, and the strength is there to do what is necessary in a peloton.”
And when they do return to riding, their history of high training load means that their fitness hasn’t fallen so far that they’re having to start again like the beginning of the off-season. “They have a high baseline fitness, so the body is in good shape and immediately the body can start recovering.”
Kasia Niewiadoma returned from serious crash at Milan-Sanremo to compete at the Ardennes Classics (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)
Risks vs rewards
There is also an element of risk when it comes to returning from an injury so quickly – and one that De Gendt believes pro cyclists tend to have a higher tolerance for. “Maybe sometimes they return too early because they accept a higher level of risk – it depends on the calendar they have, which races they have.”
But he doesn’t think amateurs should look to emulate the professional peloton, and instead focus on being patient and fully recovering rather than rushing a return. “It's more important to have a healthy body for a lot of years, so there’s no need to rush. Keep moving where possible, follow some structured plans, talk with the physiotherapist and sports doctor. Focus on the basics like good sleep, good nutrition, good hydration, and especially keep an eye on the pain signals of the body.”
