Lotto-Intermarché rider Huub Artz crashed into a jury car during the opening phase of the Dutch National Road Championship in Nijmegen on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
The incident severely impacted his title ambitions.
The newly crowned national time trial champion finished the race in 31st and final place.
He was pulled out one round before the end alongside a small group of riders.
Witness Mees Hendrikx explained that the incident occurred when the peloton approached a roundabout where the race convoy split directions.
A vehicle abruptly blocked the field.
"We were approaching a roundabout and apparently we had to go left afterwards. One car goes left on the roundabout and the other goes right.
That car going right has to go all the way around. So it drives into the peloton, closes everything off.
Four riders crash into that car, including Huub Artz," Hendrikx said.
Artz confirmed the details of the crash and expressed frustration over the driving decisions made by race officials during the neutralized zone.
"The jury car went right on that roundabout and then slammed on the brakes. And four of us crashed into it," Artz said.
The cyclist, scheduled to make his Tour de France debut the following week, described the event as highly disorganized.
He noted that the neutralized section saw erratic speed fluctuations between 30 and 40 kilometers per hour.
"Wow, that was not a smooth move," Artz said.
He further elaborated that the opening phase remained dangerously fast and chaotic as the peloton moved through the first climbs and local villages in wet conditions.
"We had that approach loop, which was also neutralized. The pace behind the car kept going from 30 km/h to 40 km/h and back.
And then we got here, on the first climb, and they ride neutralized at 45 km/h through that village," Artz said.
The 24-year-old rider criticized the positioning behavior of younger riders in the peloton.
He specifically pointed out dangerous maneuvers by under-23 athletes fighting for position among the professionals.
"It was also slippery from the rain this morning," Artz said.
Artz argued that the 170-kilometer course was naturally selective enough to separate the contenders without requiring high-risk positioning so early in the race.
"There were also guys who see opportunities here, among the pros.
I mean especially the under-23 riders, sometimes it's just really dangerous how they position themselves or come underneath," Artz said.
According to Artz, the size of the starting peloton was fundamentally too large for the narrow 10.7-kilometer local circuit, which caused the field to shatter immediately.
"I'm not going to name names, but yes, they don't really think about the fact that it's almost 170 kilometers of racing.
And that the course is selective enough that you'll eventually rise to the top," Artz said.
Only 22 riders officially completed the full distance. Artz and his group were pulled ahead of the final lap where the under-23 sprint took place.
Artz concluded that a longer lap format would have been more appropriate for the national championship given the large size and mixed quality of the field.
"I think it's just too big a peloton for such a lap.
You also see that it actually falls apart right from the start and that only 40 riders are in the race," Artz said.
The elite men's road title was ultimately won by Wilco Kelderman of Visma-Lease a Bike. He secured his victory ahead of Bauke Mollema and Jochem Kerckhaert.
