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Amaury Capiot breaks collarbone, forced to race only 12 days later: Union responds

Amaury Capiot breaks collarbone, forced to race only 12 days later Photo by: writebikerepeat/Twitter
March 27, 2024
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Pro cyclist Amaury Capiot broke collarbone just 12 days ago–and is racng on Wednesday, and many are concerned. The Belgian injured himself in the Bredene Koksijde Classic, but is still racing at the Dwars door Vlaanderen. The Belgian rider is part of Arkéa–B&B Hotels, and the son of former pro Johan Capiot. Capiot fell hard in the finale and fractured his collarbone. And yet, Capiot is on the starting list of Dwars door Vlaanderen today.

“In itself, it’s not that bad,” he said to Sporza. “The fracture has not been moved and the pain is not too bad, although the cobbles and the vibrations will hurt. It’s not optimal, anyway, although training still works pretty well,” Capiot said.

When asked if the directive was coming from his team, he confirmed so.

“From the team there was some pressure to start here. I don’t understand why,” he admitted.

It sounds like Capiot would have preferred more time off before jumping back in races, but that wasn’t in the cards.

“I would have waited another week myself and would have put everything on Roubaix for maximum recovery,” the 30-year-old said. “That seems to me the most logical, yes, but apparently not.”

With some cobbles and rough roads, Capiot said he is concerned.

“I would have trained better at home, just like yesterday. That would have been better for me,” he added. “But if the team sees it that way, I can only make the best of it for myself.”

Riders union question decision

On social media, the story of Amaury Capiot sparked a lot of outrage. Adam Hansen, head of the the Cyclistes Professionnels Associé, (CPA) said he contacted the BCPA, the Belgian chapter.

“We will contact Amaury today,” the Belgian riders association chair, Staf Scheirlinckx, said. “If Amaury has to appear against will and thanks at the start, we cannot accept that. But I can’t speak up about that now as I don’t all the information.”

Scheirlinckx hopes the Arkéa–B&B Hotels doctor has done a thorough examination and has Capiot’s health in mind.

“For the time being, I assume that the team has been carefully treated and that there has been consultation with and approval from the team doctor,” Scheirlinckx said. “The doctor bears a great responsibility. I can assume that people do not deal with this internally frivolously.”

Rider’s health continues to gain more traction as a priority in the pro peloton. In 2020, the UCI endorsed a dedicated protocol tailored for assessing cyclists who have experienced crashes for indications of a concussion. It used the standardized SCAT5 tool designed for concussion assessment but has been adjusted specifically for the cycling community. If a cyclist falls and medical officials suspect they may have fallen on their head, they must be assessed before being allowed to rejoin the race.