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Milan Menten dislocated his shoulder in victory salute at Le Samyn

Rider punched the air a little too hard

Milan Menten wins 2023 Le Samyn
March 1, 2023
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Milan Menten (Lotto-Dstny) took a huge win at Le Samyn, but it was more painful than most races. When he celebrated his win at the semi-Classic, the Belgian dislocated his shoulder.

“This is a dream,” Menten, 26, said to Sporza after his victory. “I had to celebrate and shout ‘ouch’ at the same time.” That wasn’t the only injury at the finish. Kasper Asgreen (Soudal–Quick-Step) crashed in the finale. A spokesperson for his team said that he will need a few days to recover. The Dutchman suffered a contusion of his scapula and ligaments in his shoulder, as well as multiple wounds on his body.

The 1.1 race, a 209-km event—which starts in Quaregnon and ends in Dour, Belgium—was full of attacks and crashes, with a greatly reduced peloton coming to the line.

Van der Poel finds a way to earn win for team despite broken bars

After Menten won the sprint to the line, beating Hugo Hofstetter (Team Arkéa Samsic), the Lotto-Dstny rider “cheered a little crazy” causing his shoulder to pop out.

“I braked as quickly as possible with my other hand and pushed everything into place. I now know how to do that, because it has happened before,” Menten explained.

Thankfully, the rider is feeling OK.

“My shoulder? A bit stiff, still,” he laughed.

Check out his win below.