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news
Cat Ferguson crash, Hulst UCI cyclocross World Cup, 2024 (Movistar)British star Cat Ferguson escapes serious injury after shocking crash on “dangerous” descent at UCI cyclocross World Cup
Britain’s teenage multidisciplinary sensation Cat Ferguson has escaped serious injury after crashing heavily on a treacherously steep descent during Saturday’s round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Hulst.
The 18-year-old multiple junior world champion, one of several riders to fall on the Dutch course’s infamous downhill section, crashed hard on the second lap of Saturday’s women’s race, won by Marie Schreiber.
She could be seen being treated by medical staff at the bottom of the notoriously tricky, muddy section for several laps, as other riders were directed onto the descent’s inside line.
On Saturday afternoon, Ferguson’s Movistar team announced that the British rider had been taken to hospital for examination. Later that evening, the Spanish squad confirmed that Ferguson had suffered “no serious injuries” in the crash, but noted that she will be kept under observation.
2024 has certainly been a year to remember for the 18-year-old from Yorkshire, who underlined her multidisciplinary prowess by winning four world junior titles this year, including the team pursuit and omnium on the track, and a sensational rainbow double in the time trial and road race in Zurich in September.
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
And after a dominant final season in the junior ranks, which saw her win almost at will in Europe, Ferguson also proved she can continue her winning ways at elite level, her stagiaire spell in the autumn with Movistar – with whom she will become a fully fledged WorldTour pro in January – yielding two victories, at the Tour de la Semois (only her third race day in Movistar colours) and Binche-Chimay-Binche.
However, Ferguson’s recent foray into elite cyclocross racing has come to an abrupt end (at least temporarily), after Movistar confirmed that she will miss the rest of the traditional Christmas period of racing following her crash in Hulst.
“Cat Ferguson is out for upcoming cyclocross races. After a crash in Hulst, she sustained no serious injuries but will remain under observation and miss the Christmas races,” the Spanish squad said in a statement.
Ferguson’s crash also proved the catalyst for a debate on the safety of that particular section of the Hulst course, which could be used when the venue hosts the 2026 cyclocross world championships, after organisers confirmed that 60 per cent of the existing lap will be utilised, while 40 per cent will be new in order to accommodate more spectators.
Several riders crashed on the course’s steep downhill section, including World Cup leader Michael Vanthourenhout, who fell twice on the descent during the elite men’s race before finishing seventh behind Niels Vandeputte.
Marie Schreiber was also forced to run down the banking, made even more treacherous by the rainy, muddy conditions, as she took advantage of her trademark hole shot speed to hold off her chasers, including Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse, to secure her maiden World Cup victory.
“Sometimes we have discussions about whether a descent like that should be in a cyclocross World Cup,” 10-time British and double European cyclocross champion Helen Wyman said in commentary for Eurosport following Ferguson’s crash.
“A cyclocross course is made in a way that it’s suitable for all weathers. You do have the option to run, it might sound controversial but if it’s that dangerous then you can run.
“Equally should a descent that you have to run be in a World Cup course? Is it dangerous? Yes, it can be. You can run then you take yourself out of danger. There are some courses where you can’t run them and then it makes the sport look ridiculous.”
Last year’s Hulst World Cup round was also overshadowed when world champion Mathieu van der Poel was caught on camera spitting at a group of booing spectators, leading to a 250 Swiss francs fine for the Dutch star.
Van der Poel decided to forgo Hulst this year, and will instead make his cyclocross debut on Sunday in Zonhoven.
After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
Latest Comments
- Steve K 18 min 40 sec ago
You mean a sensible thing to do given the lack of boot space?
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I remember that, "I can't wait to see an Australian walking into a shop in London and saying, ' Give us a roll of Durex, mate', the sales...
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Killing someone with a car needs to be punished the same as killing someone with any other weapon. The driver would have to prove it was not...
- chrisonabike 1 hour 19 min ago
Surprised - yes. Shocked? Not sure. I'm sure more people would hope it was less......
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I used an iPump Twist a couple of times and it's not exactly designed for pushing a lot of air but didn't give me any issue apart from taking a...
- hapaxlegomenon 10 hours 22 min ago
these look like they run super Duper narrow!
- hapaxlegomenon 10 hours 43 min ago
I agree on all points. In case you're wondering, this specific model runs a bit narrower than most other fizik SPD shoes that I've worn in the past...
- Miller 13 hours 10 min ago
Over on weight_weenies there's 310 pages of discussion on Light Bicycle so have a look there.
- nappe 14 hours 45 sec ago
Went past this just after it had happened, straight road, just after a mini roundabout with traffic calming all the way down the road......
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23 comments
Something something season of goodwill...
Or have folks had their accounts hacked (or maybe suffering from stress, overexposure to relatives and cherry brandy)?
That's your actual Christmas season squire, which technically runs Christmas Day to Twelfth Night - we're still in Advent...
I hope that the injuries sustained in the crash aren't too bad and we see Cat Ferguson back on the bike sooner rather than later.
As for the "dangerous" descent, if they remove it then the uci should ban track cycling, any descents in road racing, etc.
Should Namur and Zondhoven be removed or altered, as there were serious crashes in these races as well?
CX is an off-road discipline - tricky descents are part of the sport - and unfortunately there will be crashes. And remember the crashes at Crans-Montana XCO World Cup in June........
The issue is the length of time it took to take Cat off the course......
Poor decision for Eurosport to repeatedly show the crash before knowing the outcome. Not cool.
They showed Fouquenet's spill, but I don't remember seeing Ferguson's crash once (I was on Discovery+).
Ferguson was hidden from view every time they showed the leaders going down the bank. Not sure they could have done it differently.
Didn't know who it was until looking on social media on Sunday morning.
I was watching eurosport and not once did they show Ferguson crashing.
I wonder what Don Simon was on to make that remark.
That certainly wouldn't have been cool, but they didn't. I watched it from start to finish, didn't happen. This isn't the first time you've made up such nonsense, why do you do it? Not cool.
Ah Rendel, my own little lap dog, following me around like a lost puppy.
Yeah because rendel hardly ever posts on anything at all on this site.
It's funny isn't it, Nigel and Martin used to try to claim exactly the same thing. Rather bizarre, post lies and nonsense and then claim that those who challenge you on them are following you around. Goodness knows what obscure gratification it gives their sad little egos to believe it but maybe I'm actually doing them a favour...
So you can't actually defend your false statement, we may assume.
I don't teach children. ¡Chao!
Thank goodness for that. I don't suppose anyone would want you to. You certainly behave like one though.
There We Are Then!
At least some good has come from this. I've now learned not to pay attention to anything don simon see you next tuesday says again.
I had a brief moment of déjà vu about established reds and TT danger.
I had a brief moment of déjà vu about established reds
Established enough, according to your reverie? This is Polestar 2 OV74 URX going through a red light
You disagree with something I say and that makes me a cunt, eh? Intelligent.
Whilst not defending what they've been posting, I feel I ought to point out that IIRC the Don Simon username has been around a long time, not trolling, and certainly since well before the days of Martin ('established reds') and the batch of dedicated trolls who were around at that time.
(It makes it harder to tell since the admins never restored post counting).
I concur with that and can add that he enjoys a good argument too
The name has been in use with the same user on various forums for close to 2 decades and while said user does enjoy an argument they seldom start with insults but will happily return what other dole out, they don't tolerate bullies and they have a short fuse when it comes to racists. Back in the days when trolling was simply lighting the blue touch paper, on whichever sensitive topic, and walking away from the ensuing mayhem, Don Simon was never too far away. ¡Felices Fiestas!
Merry Xmas to you
Fair comments. I'll put my hands up and say I got the wrong end of the stick with this one.
¡Feliz navidad! Here's a pic for the season of goodwill.