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.
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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.
