Taco Van der Hoorn came from a long way away. It took exactly 502 days for the Dutch runner to make his comeback, more than a year after his heavy fall during the Tour of Flanders 2023, where he suffered a serious concussion, the second of his career after 2018. This period of rehabilitation transformed the team rider Intermarché-Wantywhich is now back on the roads since its resumption in August. A very positive recovery, crowned by a first victory at the beginning of October at the Betcity Eleven Cities Racewhere he notably outstripped Christophe Laporte.
Video – Van der Hoorn won a stage of the Giro in 2021
“Taco Van der Hoorn is not just a cyclist”
Near the RIDE Magazine Wintergidshe returned to this difficult period: “I came out of this bubble that is Cycling. And I did it very consciously. For a year, I didn't follow anything about cycling. I watched a few big races, out of curiosity, but it's everything. It's interesting to realize that there is something other than the bike. Taco van der Hoorn, he's not just a cyclist. It's an important lesson, to be pulled out of this bubble. you realize that there is other things that really matter. Now I'm back in this bubble, and cycling becomes everything again. But after the season, I consciously try to move away from it. During my vacation, I enjoy it without thinking: 'How. am I going to approach Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne or Paris-Roubaix?'”.
He also talks about his love for Andorra, where he moved after his accident. He does not see himself returning to live in the Netherlands in the short term: “As a cyclist, I prefer Andorra. That's why I moved there. After a long time in Andorra, when I stay in the Netherlands to train between races, it's okay again, but I enjoy riding in Andorra so much I don't see myself coming back to live in the Netherlands as a rider, I don't know. It will depend on the decision. evolution of my life. I am attached to my friends in the Netherlands, but maybe I will also build something elsewhere”, he concludes.
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