Aniek van Alphen has been ruled out of the Vuelta a Burgos after sustaining a fractured right collarbone and concussion in a crash during stage 3.
Fenix-Premier Tech confirmed the medical update after Van Alphen crashed in Thursday’s stage, with the team also saying she suffered bruising at the base of the little finger on her right hand. The Dutch rider did not finish the stage and will now begin her recovery after a difficult end to her race.
Van Alphen suffers multiple injuries in stage 3 crash
Van Alphen had reached the third stage of the Vuelta a Burgos after a busy recent racing block that included La Vuelta Femenina and Itzulia Women. Her Burgos campaign began with 54th on stage 1 and 63rd on stage 2, but ended with a DNF on stage 3 after the crash.
Fenix-Premier Tech confirmed the injuries in a team update.
“Following her crash in yesterday’s stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, Aniek van Alphen sustained a fracture of her right collarbone,” the team said. “She also suffered a concussion and a bruise at the base of the little finger on her right hand.”
The collarbone fracture alone would have been enough to end her race, but the concussion adds a further layer of concern. With head injuries, the focus has to be on careful monitoring and recovery rather than any immediate return timeline.
A frustrating end after a heavy spring schedule
Van Alphen had come into Burgos after completing La Vuelta Femenina earlier in May, where she finished 71st overall. She also raced Itzulia Women, placing 41st overall after three stages in the Basque Country.
That gave her a substantial run of Spanish stage racing before the crash in Burgos. For riders working through repeated stage races, maintaining condition and recovery is already a challenge, and a crash at this point in the block is particularly disruptive.
Her role for Fenix-Premier Tech has often been built around durability and support work across varied terrain. Those contributions can be easy to miss in the results, but they matter in races where positioning, bunch control and protecting team options are essential across consecutive days.
Recovery now the priority
Fenix-Premier Tech wished Van Alphen a speedy recovery, with no return date yet confirmed.
The immediate priority will be assessing the concussion properly and managing the collarbone fracture before any racing plans are considered. Collarbone injuries are common in cycling, but the combination with a head injury means the recovery process will need to be handled carefully.
Van Alphen’s Vuelta a Burgos ends earlier than planned, and Fenix-Premier Tech will continue the race without one of their experienced support riders. For now, the sporting consequences sit behind the more important concern: giving Van Alphen the time needed to recover fully from a hard crash.
