Gerben Thijssen resumed training less than two weeks after his crash in the Scheldeprijs on Wednesday 3rd of April, during which he sustained partially ruptured ligaments on the outside of his ankle.
The 25 year old Belgian rider, winner of the Trofeo Palma and the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve this season, prepares his return into competition and will start his second part of the season on the occasion of the Elfstedenronde on 5th of May.
Due to a disturbed preparation, Gerben Thijssen will not participate in the Tour of Italy and shift focus towards his first participation in the Tour de France, which starts in Florence on 29th of June.
“Despite the pain the first days after the crash, the injury turned out to be less serious than we feared and I could recover fairly quickly. My feeling on the bike is improving day by day, but I still need to be careful with certain movements such as walking. Not participating in the Giro d’Italia is obviously a disappointment as I was very much looking forward to my debut, but it was the best decision for the rest of my season. My new programme offers me enough time to recover. And it also brings renewed motivation as plenty of sprint opportunities await me in May and in June, in races in which I have been successful in the past such as the Ronde van Limburg. Also, making my debut in the Tour de France is the realisation of a childhood dream. It is a reward for my efforts and for the ones who have supported me in my development, en incredible motivating factor.”
"Due to his ankle injury, the preparation of Gerben Thijssen towards the Tour of Italy was disturbed and shortened. The medical staff and performance team analysed the situation in consultation with Gerben and considered an alternative programme. We unanimously decided to not take any risks and to offer him a new programme to prepare him in an optimal way for his first participation in the Tour de France. Gerben will line up with ambition for the Belgian classics in May, the Belgium Tour and Belgian championship in June."
“There is positive news about the recovery of Gerben Thijssen, less than two weeks after his crash in the Scheldeprijs. Thanks to a period of necessary rest, the partially ruptured ligaments of his ankle healed well. Gerben was relatively quickly pain-free, so he could resume training and already made progression in his build-up.”
