Julian Mertens in a coma, undergoes spinal surgery after training crash

Julian Mertens (Bingoal WB) (Image credit: Bingoal WB)

Belgian pro Julian Mertens is in an artificial coma and has undergone spinal surgery after a training crash on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old, who rides for the Bingoal WB team, was rushed to hospital in Antwerp on Wednesday when he suffered what his team described as an "accident" while out training.

He was induced into a coma in order to best deal with his injuries, the most pressing of which involved his spinal column. On Thursday morning, the team said that he was "operated on with success".

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Mertens will undergo a further operation on his jaw later on Thursday. He has also broken an arm and multiple ribs.

"He will be kept in an artificial coma for a few more days, according to his progression," said the team.

Mertens came through the Lotto-Dstny Development programme before turning professional with Sport Vlaanderen Baloise, the team that has kick-started the careers of numerous Belgian pros.

He spent three years there before joining Bingoal WB at the start of 2023, riding the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège as part of a big Classics campaign.

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Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN's news operation.