Michael Valgren crashed in the final stage of the Route d'Occitanie on Sunday, sustaining injuries that mean the Danish rider will miss a homes Tour de France start in Copenhagen.
EF Education-EasyPost initially announced that Valgren had been taken to hospital to assess his injuries, then late on Sunday confirmed the extent of the damage.
“Michael Valgren suffered a dislocated hip, pelvis fracture, and possible knee injury at the Route d'Occitanie today,” said the team on Twitter. “He will be transferred to Monaco and undergo surgery in the coming week.
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“Join us in wishing Michael a speedy recovery.”
Even the most speedy recovery, however, isn’t going to be enough to see him ready to make the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in just a week-and-a-half.
It will be the first time since 2014 the 30-year-old has missed the Tour de France and in the year it starts in his home nation. Even before the medical update was released, TV 2 Sport reported that EF Education EasyPost sports director Matti Breschel had confirmed a Tour de France start would not be possible.
Earlier in the Route d’Occitanie, Valgren delivered a late attack in the 33km heatwave shortened stage 2, holding on for second place in the uphill finish behind Roger Adria (Kern Pharma). It was Valgren’s first podium of the season, but comes after a strong run of results in 2021.
He took his first victory since 2018 – the year he won Amstel Gold and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – at the Giro della Toscana in September of 2021, then quickly followed that with victory at Coppa Sabatini, after which he added another two years to his EF-Education contract. Valgren then went on to finish third at the Road World Championships in Flanders.
