Van der Poel, center, was concerned he might have needed an operation this week. © Mike Albright / Cyclocross Magazine
Things are starting to look up for Mathieu van der Poel after a long period of unease, including him missing the 2015 World Cup in CrossVegas.
According to nieuwsblad.be and our European correspondent, Christine Vardaros, the young Dutch world champion was able to train on his rollers yesterday for the first time without feeling the hindrance of his inflamed left knee.
The issue began over a month ago, in a crash during the Tour de l’Avenir, which caused damage to his right leg. The BKCP-Powerplus rider opted to train through the crash, which created far worse complications to his left knee, which presumably was overworking to compensate for the right leg injury. After an extended time being unable to properly train, he feared that he might need an operation as late as yesterday, but the successful training session came as a welcome relief.
Van der Poel reported that he still needs a little time to build his fitness back up, and he will skip this weekend’s racing at the very least. Stay tuned as the information arrives.
