On 7 August 2016, while leading the road race at the 2016 Olympic Games, van Vleuten crashed head first on the descent from Vista Chinesa after missing the brake timing of a sharp bend, before the finish. The crash resulted in her being hospitalised with three lumbar spinal fractures and a severe concussion. Though she was out of the race due to severe injuries, her team-mate Anna van der Breggen took home the gold medal for the Netherlands. Despite her injuries, van Vleuten was riding a bicycle within ten days of her accident and made a winning return to competition one month later, taking the overall victory and two stage wins at the 2016 Lotto Belisol Belgium Tour.