No Tour Down Under: Silke Smulders must postpone season start

Silke Smulders is making her competitive return at the Santos Tour Down Under. At least, that was the plan, but a crash during training has thrown a wrench in the works. The Dutch rider now has to postpone her season start, her team Liv AlUla Jayco announced on social media.

The 24-year-old from North Brabant needs time to recover from her crash, and the Santos Tour Down Under is coming too soon. This race starts in just over two weeks, on Saturday, January 17. "The decision was made by the team so Silke can focus on a full recovery. We wish her a speedy recovery and can't wait for the moment she returns to competition."

This is a significant setback for Smulders, who impressively finished second in the overall classification last year. The attacking Dutch rider was only bested by Swiss Noemi Rüegg early in 2025 and had high ambitions for the first WorldTour race of the new season.

"For me, the Tour Down Under felt like a breakthrough," Smulders said last month in a team press release. "Being so close to the overall victory gave me a huge boost of confidence. I also remember how special it was that the girls gave everything to support me."

With Smulders absent, Liv AlUla Jayco will now mainly rely on the all-round capabilities of Ruby Roseman-Gannon and the climbing legs of Ella Wylie.