Kim Le Court-Pienaar’s 2026 season is over after medical checks confirmed a small tear in her quadriceps following her crash in the elite women’s road race at the World Championships in Montréal.
AG Insurance-Soudal said an ultrasound examination identified the injury after the Mauritian was caught in the major pile-up that split the peloton with around 95km remaining. After further assessment with the team’s medical staff, Le Court-Pienaar and the team have decided not to race again this season and instead prioritise her recovery.
The crash involved more than a dozen riders on one of the faster sections of the Mount Royal circuit and effectively ended Le Court-Pienaar’s medal challenge. She was among the riders forced into a long chase after the field fragmented, while several others abandoned with more serious injuries.
World Championships crash brings an early end to Le Court-Pienaar’s season
Le Court-Pienaar had gone into Montréal as one of the riders capable of challenging for the rainbow jersey after one of the strongest seasons of her career. The race was eventually won by Demi Vollering, with Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney second and Elisa Longo Borghini third. Our World Championships race report covers how the title was decided after the crash had reshaped the race.
The quadriceps injury means Le Court-Pienaar will miss the remaining autumn races and close 2026 earlier than planned. The team have not given a return date beyond confirming that recovery will now take priority.
A difficult year still produced major wins
The injury is another interruption in a season that had already been broken up by a fractured wrist at the Tour of Flanders in April. Le Court-Pienaar required surgery after that crash and missed the Ardennes Classics, including the chance to defend her Liège-Bastogne-Liège title.
Her return developed into a strong second half of the year. In August she won stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes in Tournon-sur-Rhône, beating a reduced group after surviving a difficult day in the hills.
Later that month she took the biggest stage-race victory of her career at the Tour of Britain Women. Le Court-Pienaar won the Great Orme stage to move into the race lead and then defended it through the final two days, sealing the overall title in Royal Leamington Spa.
Those results ensured that 2026 still became another important season in her progression despite the two major crashes. The Tour stage victory confirmed that she could win from a highly selective group, while the Tour of Britain title added a first major general classification success.
Recovery now takes priority
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Photo Credit: Getty
The decision to stop now removes any pressure to return for the final races of the season with the quadriceps tear still healing. It also gives Le Court-Pienaar a longer recovery window before preparations begin for 2027.
AG Insurance-Soudal have not indicated that the injury will require surgery. For now, the focus is on allowing the tear to heal fully after a year in which Le Court-Pienaar had already worked back from one significant injury before returning to win at the Tour de France Femmes and Tour of Britain.
