BREAKING NEWS: A SURPRISE RETURN FOR MATHIEU VAN DER POEL

Alpecin Fenix announced Mathieu van der Poel would return to racing at Milan San Remo, a week earlier than expected. Van der Poel has been sidelined with a back injury since a crash in the Olympic mountain bike event last fall and took the chance to undergo knee surgery as well. Van der Poel attempted to race the early cyclocross calendar in the winter but pulled out before the new year.

“The past month weren’t my favorite ones for sure.

“To abandon the CX-season was a tough decision to make”, he said,

“But I think it was the right one and in the end I’ve had really proper time now to take care of the problem”.

A spate of illness has swept through the peloton and has reduced the planned Alpecin Fenix team for MSR to just six riders. Van der Poel got the call up and will toe the line with “no expectations” according to a team press release.

 

Photos: Bettini