The European cyclocross season may have officially opened at the Kleeberg Cross, but Annemarie Worst will have to wait to join the fray. The Dutch rider, racing on the road for Fenix-Deceuninck and in the mud for Seven Racing, fractured her collarbone in a crash during her final road race of the year at the Simac Ladies Tour.
Early in stage 4 around Alkmaar, Worst was brought down in a heavy fall. The injury was quickly diagnosed as a broken collarbone, but scans also revealed more damage. She confirmed on social media that several tendons in her left shoulder had been torn once again, compounding the setback.
“This is not the way I hoped to start my cyclocross season,” she admitted. “Right now it is mentally very tough, but I know from past experiences that I can come back.”
It is the third winter in succession that Worst has faced disruption ahead of her campaign. In 2023 she was hampered by a knee injury, while her 2024 preparations were cut short by a coronavirus infection. Even then, bad luck continued – she crashed heavily in Zonhoven and broke her hand in two places.
Worst, vice-world champion in Dübendorf and Ostend earlier in her career, had built steady road form in 2025. Her best results were 13th at the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies and 21st at the Trofeo Oro in Euro. Last winter she never quite reached the podium but was a consistent presence in the top five, including 4th at Hulst in the World Cup and 5th at Superprestige Niel.
At 29, the rider from Harderwijk remains one of the most reliable competitors in the cyclocross peloton, with one UCI victory to her name. This latest setback will delay her start to the season, but history suggests she is more than capable of working her way back to form once she returns to racing.
