“This isn’t the update I wanted to share,” Yukon native Mara Roldan began in her Instagram post.
The Picnic–PostNL rider has been on the mend after a brutal crash at the Tour of Britain back in June. That crash came the day after her first WorldTour win in Stage 2.
Just days after one of the most unforgettable moments of her career, Mara Roldan faced the worst-case scenario. It was a crash that left her with a broken femur. “Those 48 hours were surreal,” she said. “One moment I was celebrating my first women’s WorldTour win, the next I was in a hospital bed, wondering if I’d ever ride again this year. It was terrifying.”
The recovery
The early days after surgery were brutal. “Even bending my knee or wiggling my toes took so much effort,” Roldan recalled. She spent over a week in the U.K. hospital under close watch, as swelling put her at risk of complications. Fortunately, the swelling eased, and she returned to the Netherlands to start rehab.
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Support made all the difference. “My team’s medical staff and physiotherapist created a plan to help me progress each week. I was walking on crutches early and gradually switched to just one as my leg strengthened.” Mobility returned slowly at first, but she steadily regained more natural movement.
Being sidelined from races was tough. “Watching my teammates compete while I could only cheer from afar was challenging. But I focused on small wins and stayed positive. Every step forward felt like progress.”
Eventually, she began her rehabilitation. Early weeks focused on physiotherapy and flexibility, then strength work with blood-flow restriction to keep muscle mass during inactivity. Small movements like squats and low-resistance stationary biking helped rebuild her leg. Eventually, she got to take hikes and short rides outside.
Things were looking good after a long recovery, but on Saturday she posted an update about how she was doing.
The setback
“A few weeks ago, I attempted to run for the first time… little did I know it would lead to the hardest setback of my recovery so far. What felt like mild inflammation at first slowly developed into constant jolts of pain in my hip, along with nerve compression and tingling down my leg whenever I walked or tried to cycle for longer periods,” she posted. “Even after taking three weeks of full rest, I still haven’t been able to figure out the problem or truly relieve the symptoms. It’s been an incredibly frustrating and confusing process, and mentally, one of the hardest parts of this recovery yet. Before this setback, I finally felt like I was getting somewhere — slowly feeling like myself again, training with goals and excitement for the season ahead.”
Roldan said she now feels lost and without answers or a clear path forward.
She concluded by saying that she’s not sure what’s next or how long it’ll take before she can train, let alone race, again.
“Tomorrow I’m flying back to the Netherlands to with my team to see specialists and get tests and scans done, hoping to finally understand what’s going on and how to advance from here.”
Cycling can be a brutal sport, as Mike Woods once said — with incredible highs and incredible lows. Roldan has pointed out before that throughout this challenging period, her friends, family, and support team have been invaluable. Everyone at Canadian Cycling Magazine is rooting for this talented rider, and hopefully she can sort things out and be out there on the road, doing what she loves.