An Austrian junior has been injured after he was hit by a driver on a training ride, leaving his bike broken into pieces.
Marc Hierschläger, an eight time junior national champion, wrote on Instagram that “a car cut me off—I had no chance to avoid it,” adding that “even though it wasn’t my fault, I ended up pretty badly injured.” A separate story posted on Instagram shows Hierschläger wearing a cast on his left arm.
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Hierschläger had just returned from a training camp in Mallorca organised by the cycling federation of Upper Austria, and the crash has derailed the teenager’s preparations for the season, saying that the incident was “bad timing, especially since I was in top shape and couldn’t wait for the season to start.” He was believed to be planning a second season in the under-17 ranks, racing in both Austria Cup criteriums, and stage races both domestically and abroad. But Hierschläger is now planning to focus on his “recovery, rebuild, and come back step by step.”
The Austrian’s injury is the latest casualty caused by being hit by a driver whilst training. Former Tour de France winner Demi Vollering crashed in a hit-and-run incident in Alicante in December, sustaining minor injuries. A similar fortune befell Lorena Wiebes whilst the Dutch sprinter was out riding her e-mountain bike. Two strangers quickly came to her assistance.
More seriously, Thibault Guernalec suffered a broken back, finger and concussion when he was hit head-on by a driver whilst training in November. He later said he came “within a hair’s breadth of being in a wheelchair.” Meanwhile, in a similar incident to Hierschläger, former Tour de France white jersey winner Pierre Latour was forced to miss what was due to be his final race as a professional after he was clipped by a small lorry driver and broke his arm.
The topic of rider safety has remained pertinent in the peloton, with several teams adopting different approaches to protect their riders both during races and when training. Soudal – Quick-Step’s 2026 jersey incorporates a neon pattern intended to make their riders more visible to drivers.
Team Picnic-PostNL have meanwhile unveiled an airbag prototype that can quickly inflate to minimise a rider’s torso injuries when they crash. However, the use of them in races has been delayed whilst the UCI has announced its intention to open a “broad consultation” on the subject involving multiple teams and kit manufacturers.
> UCI calls for “clear regulatory framework” to govern rider airbags
