Just as the 2026 downhill season was getting started, Loic Bruni was taken out of the race. The five-time world champion Loïc Bruni announced today that he will miss at least the next three months after emergency surgery on his wrist following a violent crash during practice in Loudenvielle, France.
A gnarly crash
At first it seemed like he escaped serious injury. He crashed so hard during practice in Loudenvielle. He got X-rays.
“Nothing was broken on the X-ray, so they were like, hey, you’re good to go, man. Have a good one. See you next race,” Bruni said in a video update.
But something didn’t feel right.
“It was really painful and it felt a bit wrong, let’s say,” he explained.
A follow-up scan revealed a more serious issue.
“One of the bone of the wrist was dislocated,” Bruni said. “It was not broken. But it was not at the right place at all.”
Doctors told him the injury required immediate surgery to avoid long-term complications.
“So emergency surgery, boom,” he said.
A brutal timeline
“The bad news comes with the doctors when they told me it was a recovery of three months minimum before I could ride again,” Bruni said. “That was tough.”
For a rider who has has an impressively long career with not tons of time spent injured on the sidelines, this is tough.
“I’ve never had such a long recovery, especially in the middle of the season, which is like the worst timing for me to do it.”
Not ready to call it a season
Despite the medical timeline, Bruni is already targeting a return later this season.
“My goal is to be back for Le Gets and Val di Sol, which are two big races for me that I had in mind, and I still have in mind,” he said.
“It’s less than 3 months, but I will try to make it happen. I’ll give my maximum. I’m not done, far from it.”
Taking time to congratulate a rival
Always a class act, Bruni made a point of congratulating Luca Shaw.
“I wanted to give a special congrats to Luca Shaw for winning his first World Cup.”
“He’s one of my favorite riders, and congrats, bro. It was epic and it made my day when I needed some good news.”
The World Cup season will undoubtedly feel a little different without one of its biggest stars on the start list. The only question now is whether Bruni can beat the doctors’ timeline and make it back before the year is over.