‘One crash can really change a whole year’: Back to the drawing board for top Belgian star

The consequences of a training crash before what should have been his first race of the season continue to haunt Pieter Heemeryck.

The Belgian star was one of the favourites for IRONMAN New Zealand in Taupō at the start of March – but his race was over before it even started.

Writing on Instagram at the time he explained: “Just was riding on the main road when a car took me full on my side coming from the other lane.

“Almost every part of the bike is damaged. Think I have to be very happy it’s only a broken collarbone for myself.”

‘One step at a time’

He had surgery on the collarbone soon after returning to Belgium but unfortunately the fallout has proved to be far more wide-ranging than first hoped.

His opening race of the campaign ended up being IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau in late May but he said his body had ‘frozen up with fear’ on the bike in what were treacherous conditions.

So it was fantastic to see him complete T100 San Francisco a week later in what looked to be a huge step forward.

He finished 12th that day and said afterwards: “Competing alongside the world’s best again was a milestone in itself. Three months post-surgery, I’m still learning to fully trust the bike again, especially on the descents, but this race reminded me just how far I’ve come.

“San Francisco was about more than results: it was about showing up, enjoying the race, and regaining confidence one step at a time.”

He had hoped to carry on the momentum into T100 Vancouver a fortnight later but that proved to be another DNF – and now a couple of weeks later, he has revealed why.

Challenge Roth ruled out

Posting on Instagram, he explained: “It’s been a bit quiet on my end, but for good reason. Revalidating after the crash in Taupo was a huge effort, and the journey back to a healthy body continues to be demanding.

“The week before @t100triathlon Vancouver, I couldn’t run. We tried everything to get race-ready, but it became clear something wasn’t right. An MRI the day after getting back in Belgium confirmed it: another revalidation period is ahead due to a sacrum stress fracture.

“I took a week to reset mentally and just got back on my bike yesterday. Running will be out of the question for the next few weeks, which unfortunately means no @challengeroth – a race I was really looking forward to.

“One crash can really change a whole year. It’s back to the drawing board to plan some big goals for the second half of the season. Huge thanks to my team for their care and for putting together a solid revalidation schedule. We will be back!”