Cofidis rider Alex Aranburu’s 2024 season has come to a premature end after the Basque cyclist suffered a fractured right collarbone and a compound fracture of the iliac wing during a high-speed crash at the Coppa Bernocchi. The accident occurred approximately 600 meters from the finish line in Legnano, Italy, when a multi-rider collision swept through the front right side of the peloton.
Coppa Bernocchi Crash Halts Aranburu’s Campaign
Television helicopter footage captured the severity of the incident, which ultimately forced 63 starters to abandon the Italian one-day race. Aranburu, riding near the front to contest the bunch sprint, sustained immediate, visible injuries that prevented him from returning to his bicycle. Medical evaluations confirmed the severity of the trauma, with Cofidis team management announcing that the Ezkio-Gipuzkoa native faces an estimated recovery period of three to six months.
The late-season accident compounds a difficult stretch for Cofidis’ Basque contingent. Just days prior, teammate Ion Izagirre suffered a fractured wrist during a training ride at home ahead of the Giro di Lombardia, terminating his professional career earlier than anticipated. While Noa Isidore (Decathlon) secured victory at the Coppa Bernocchi sprint finish ahead of Tommaso Dati (Team UKYO) and third-place finisher Orluis Aular (Movistar)—following Marijn van den Berg’s relegation for an illegal sprint—Aranburu was left receiving roadside medical attention.
Agriturismo Results Define a Strong Year
The crash brings a painful close to an otherwise productive campaign for Aranburu, who established himself as a reliable stage-racing threat throughout the 2024 calendar. His spring began brightly at the Itzulia Basque Country, where he infiltrated a 34-rider breakaway on the stage to Galdakao and attacked on the final climb of Legina. Though caught near the finish alongside Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X), Aranburu played a central role in a strong team performance alongside Izagirre.
In June, shortly before the Tour de France, Aranburu captured Stage 3 of the Tour of Belgium and held the overall race lead before finishing third behind Jasper Philipsen, who claimed the general classification on time bonuses. Those performances earned Aranburu a spot on the Cofidis roster for the Tour de France, where he aggressively hunted for a stage victory. He later rebounded at the Tour du Limousin, finishing second overall behind Isidore and collecting 96 UCI points.
Aranburu’s most notable individual victory arrived in late August at the 90th edition of the Clásica de Bretaña, where he accelerated through the final two kilometers to claim the win. With his recovery timeline estimated between three and six months, the Spanish rider turns his focus entirely toward rehabilitation ahead of the 2025 season.
Keep reading
