Maike van der Duin will be out of racing for the time being after revealing on Instagram that she will not compete this week, describing the setback as the start of “a new comeback”.
The Canyon-SRAM rider did not specify the exact injury, but the image shared alongside her update strongly suggests the issue relates to her hand. What caused the problem is also unclear, though the timing is notable: Van der Duin did not finish Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, and this update follows immediately afterwards.
A blow just as her season was gathering rhythm
For Van der Duin, the interruption lands at a frustrating moment. The 2026 season had marked a clear step back into regular competition after a difficult spell that kept her largely away from racing. The 23-year-old had been working her way back from a near two-year period in which she dealt with inflammation across her body, and January had brought her first race in more than six months.
That context makes this latest issue feel less like a routine knock and more like another stop-start moment in a long return.
What her early 2026 results tell us
Van der Duin’s race calendar had been steadily building before the DNF at Dwars door Vlaanderen:
She opened her year at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, finishing 101st overall and taking 27th in the points classification after placings of 81st, 113th and 101st across the stages listed. She then placed 10th at the Midwest Cycling Classic, a result that stood out as her best performance so far this season and a reminder of her speed when everything lines up. A 36th at the Ronde van Brugge – Tour of Bruges followed, before the DNF at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
For a rider whose listed speciality is sprinting, that Midwest top ten was the clearest sign yet that her form was beginning to come around again.
What comes next
At this stage, Canyon-SRAM have not provided a timeline, and Van der Duin has not said when she expects to return. With the injury appearing to involve her hand, the key issue will be how quickly she can regain confidence and control on the bars, particularly if there is any pain when braking or sprinting.
For now, the message from the rider is simple: she is parked up again, but already framing it as another return rather than an ending.
