Advertising banner crash leaves Decathlon rider’s world championships in doubt
Stefan Bissegger was involved in a crash during the Tour de Pologne involving an advertising banner, which has left him with a 50% chance of riding the world championships in September.
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Pologne crash
Stefan Bissegger’s (Decathlon CMA CGM) participation in the upcoming UCI road world championships has been left in doubt following a crash that he suffered at the Tour de Pologne.
The Swiss was one of three riders who were involved in a crash inside the final 10km of stage 5 of the Polish WorldTour stage race, alongside Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
It was unclear what had caused the incident, but there was speculation that an advertising banner on the side of the road had been involved.
Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) powered to victory in the uphill finish at Kocierz Resort, while Bissegger finished 124th on the stage, 12:01 behind his compatriot, before abandoning the race overnight.
Speaking to Blick in the aftermath of the Polish stage race, Bissegger confirmed speculation that the crash had been caused by an advertising banner.
“It was positioned at the side, too close to the road; it caught my handlebars and wrenched them out of my hands,” Bissegger told Blick.
He also confirmed that he was diagnosed with a double fracture of the pubic bone on Monday afternoon following medical tests.
World championships doubt
As a result, the 27-year-old acknowledged that he now faces a race against the clock to be fit in time for the world championships in Montreal, Canada, which he has highlighted as a key goal after missing out on selection for the Tour de France.
Bissegger’s best result in the individual time trial at the world championships was fifth place back in 2022 in Wollongong, Australia. He was also part of the winning Swiss squad in the Mixed Relay event in that edition.
“I’ve got to try to get back in the saddle and start pedalling as soon as possible. If that goes well, there’s still hope for the World Championships,” he said. “I currently put my chances of taking part at 50 per cent.”
The 2026 UCI road world championships begin in Montreal, Canada on September 20 with the men’s individual time trial. The Mixed relay takes place on September 22 and the men’s road race on September 27.
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