Search
shop

Triathlon superstar Lionel Sanders suffered fractured hip in bike crash which ended his season

'No Limits' getting back to high-end training after an extended break
News Director
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

Lionel Sanders has revealed that the bike crash which ended his triathlon season prematurely last year left him with a fractured hip.

The Canadian star had been poised to round off a successful 2024 campaign with the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand in mid-December.

But that plan was ended by the crash, as he explained at the time: “I was really excited to do 70.3 Worlds but unfortunately last week I crashed pretty hard on my bike.

“Nothing is broken but I’m still quite banged up so I’ve decided to call it a season and rest up for a successful 2025!”

That means Sanders ended the year with three victories to his name – at 70.3 Oceanside, 70.3 Mont Tremblant and IRONMAN Canada. 

Advertisement

MRI reveals fracture

But a couple of months on and it turns out that bike crash was more serious than first thought.

For this week, in his first workout video in a while on YouTube, Sanders revealed: “I took an off-season – not by choice, but by crashing.

“Originally I thought it was nothing serious but then it didn’t really get better very quickly so I went for an MRI and turns out I’d fractured my hip. So a forced stop to the season.”

Back on track

But things are now ramping up – as you’ll see if you watch the video which is embedded below.

And Sanders explained how he’s worked his way back to full fitness: “So slowly getting back into things took most of January as base training, nothing really higher intensity than let’s say, bottom of threshold. [I] put in a decent amount of volume.

“And now mid-February we’re getting back to some VO2, some high-end work.”

All of which means we should see him back in race action soon, with a defence of his IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside title on April 5 a potential start point.

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
Cadomotus aero triathlon cycling shoes
Can your triathlon cycling shoes make you faster? How shoe choice could speed up your triathlon finish times
French Riviera T100 bike course Esterel
Is this the ultimate middle distance triathlon bike course? We rode the French Riviera T100 bike course and it’s EPIC
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
latest News
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘No No No’ – Sam Long says he felt ROBBED by swim cancellation at ‘69.1 Chattanooga’
IRONMAN World Championship 2024 Nice Age Group Swim Start
IRONMAN to review World Championship slot allocation model after fears raised for Age Group women
Jonny Brownlee / Jonathan Brownlee - Super League Triathlon London 2023
Did the Brownlee brothers nearly join pro cycling’s Team Sky after 2012 Olympic heroics?
Kristian Hogenhaug interviewed after The Championship 2025
Danish triathlon star highlights blistering bike split as key to The Championship success.
Alistair Brownlee - T100 San Francisco 2024 bike
Olympic triathlon legend Alistair Brownlee completes iconic Gralloch race in latest gravel test
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...