The Track Cycling World Championships in Chile seemed to be going almost flawlessly from a Dutch perspective this week, but that changed overnight. During the Madison, things went wrong when Lisa van Belle and Lorena Wiebes crashed together during a hand sling. Wiebes immediately grabbed her shoulder after the fall.
After twelve sprints in the Madison, the Dutch team was in the lead, having won seven of them so far. During a hand sling, the riders pulled each other down. Wiebes seemed to crash hard in particular. The 26-year-old top sprinter from Mijdrecht almost immediately reached for her shoulder, while Van Belle, with a bleeding lip, walked off the track. Nevertheless, team coach Nick Stöpler was able to report afterwards that it did not seem like either woman had any fractures.
We will see today the extent of Wiebes' injuries. It appears she was taken to the hospital for tests. Van Belle had a lip wound#Santiago2025 pic.twitter.com/Fk15Zp5p1h
— elsterrato (@elsterrato) October 26, 2025
Cause of the crash
At the moment of the hand sling, the team coach saw a too large speed difference between the two Dutch riders. "In that case, there is too little pressure on the front wheel and they end up pulling each other down. That happens to every pro sometimes, but of course you don’t want that at a World Championship," Stöpler explained to NOS.
For Wiebes, the World Championships in Santiago, Chile, had gone perfectly up until the crash. On day one, she successfully defended her scratch world title, and on day two, she rode in dominant fashion to win gold and the rainbow jersey in the omnium. The Madison, in which the SD Worx-Proteam rider crashed, was the third and final event in which she was scheduled to compete.
UCI Cycling World Championships - Track (Madison)| Rank | Rider | Time |
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