Yikes. A very, very lousy start to the season for Australian Michael Matthews. He will be sidelined for a while after breaking both wrists while out training on Thursday. His team, Team Jayco–AlUla, confirmed the news on social media.

The 35-year-old Australian was taken to hospital following the wipeout, the team posted.
A CT scan later revealed fractures in both wrists. That means, obviously, Matthews will miss several races he had scheduled in the coming weeks. How many is unclear at this point.

A crashy and crappy 2026 for some

It’s just the latest in a lot of bad luck in the pro peloton this year. Former world champ Mads Pedersen hit the deck hard on the opening stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, which derailed his spring Classics plans–how much is still unclear.

Sprinter Fabio Jakobsen also went down hard. He hit a stone and slid across the pavement after his tire came off the rim. He even said it was one of the worst ones of his career–which is saying something, as he’s had some doozies.

At the Tour Down Under, Mikkel Bjerg broke bones in his hand in a crazy incident after colliding with a kangaroo. Jhonatan Narváez fractured vertebrae in the same race.

The women’s peloton hasn’t been spared. Marlen Reusser abandoned the UAE Tour Women after a nasty crash. Silke Smulders fractured vertebrae in Spain. Whitehorse native Mara Roldan had just started her season after a long recovery from a brutal crash at the Tour of Britain. Just a few days after her first race back at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, she was hit by a motorist. For now, she has to wait for concussion protocols to be complete until she can race again.

What’s next for Matthews?

Matthews had already opened his 2026 season with a dub at the Gran Premio Castellón in January but did not compete during February. His next planned start had been Paris–Nice, which begins on Sunday. But that ain’t happening.

The veteran sprinter had also been targeting several major Classics this year. With fractures in both wrists, however, Matthews will definitely be on the sidelines awhile.