Steven Kruijswijk’s last two seasons were marked by serious accidents that prevented him from completing (or starting) the Tour de France. In 2022, he retired from the race with several fractures, after a fall on the route to Carcassonne, and last season he was unable to compete, having fractured his collarbone and pelvis in an accident at the Critérium du Dauphiné. “I’m still recovering from this,” he confessed in an interview with Dutch website WielerFlits.
Collarbone and shoulder fractures twice in a row
“I broke my collarbone and shoulder twice in a row. This usually doesn’t make things better. I need to keep paying attention to this in the future, but at the moment it’s not stopping me from cycling,” explains the 36-year-old Dutchman.
After the fall on the Dauphiné, Kruijswijk took part in the Tour of Britain, the Tour of Luxembourg and the Tour of Guangxi, mainly for mileage. Adjusting his preparations for the new season, the 36-year-old Dutchman is hopeful of having a normal racing cycle.
Ambition to win a Grand Tour
“My ambition, once again, is to win a Grand Tour. I hope to be a part of the Tour de France team again.”
“Judging by the way things are going now, this should happen. I consider my year successful if our team wins the Tour and I have contributed significantly to this, right to the end”, says Kruijswijk.
He had started the season in Tirreno-Adriatico, with Jonas Vingegaard. After that, he will also follow Vingegaard, in the Tour of Catalunya and the Tour of the Basque Country. Then the preparation for the Tour will begin, followed by the Critérium du Dauphiné. The schedule after the Tour is still open, but for now he is scheduled for the Vuelta a España.
