Fresh setback for Albert Withen Philipsen after training crash leaves him with three fractures

Lidl-Trek have confirmed that Albert Withen Philipsen has suffered three minor fractures in a training crash on Monday. 

The 19-year-old Danish talent was taken to hospital following the incident, where examinations revealed fractures to his left wrist, elbow and shoulder. Philipsen has since been discharged and is recovering from his injuries.

The crash comes just as Philipsen was preparing to return to competition, three months after his last outing at the Tour de Romandie in May, where he finished in the top 10 on five of the six stages and ended eighth overall.  

Philipsen had been scheduled to race the Lidl Deutschland Tour and Bretagne Classic in the coming weeks, but his latest injuries will rule him out of both races.

This is not the first setback that the 19-year-old has suffered this season. Philipsen was involved in a crash at the Bredene Koksijde Classic in March, after which he was sidelined for several weeks before returning to action at the Ronde van Limburg, where he featured in the breakaway.

He subsequently caught the eye with eighth-place finishes at the Amstel Gold Race in April and the Tour de Romandie in May.

A few days after the Tour de Romandie, Philipsen also suffered a separate training crash while descending at around 80km/h. He revealed on social media that he was left half-conscious following the incident but avoided internal injuries and broken bones. 

Monday's crash leaves Philipsen with just 14 race days this season. His recovery timeline and potential return to competition have yet to be confirmed.