Mathieu van der Poel fits GP Sven Nys due to rib soreness after pole collision

The Sven Nys de Baal Grand Prix has lost its biggest attraction in Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman decided to retire at the last minute as rib pain worsened after a fall in Loenhout. He discusses with the medical staff to find out if he will be able to run in Koksijde the day after tomorrow.

We learned last Friday in Loenhout that Mathieu van der Poel is not infallible, where he briefly lost control of his bike and clipped a pole during his triumphal procession.

A seemingly stupid error, because two days later it was the return to Besançon business as usual for the world champion.

But it turns out that the collision with the pole wasn’t so innocent after all. “Mathieu has a lot of pain in his rib,” reports his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

“The uneasiness has only gotten worse in recent days. After consultation with the medical staff, the difficult decision was made this morning not to let Mathieu start at Baal.

It is not yet clear whether the rib pain will also mean that Van der Poel will have to cancel Koksijde (Friday) and perhaps even Dendermonde (Sunday). “We will continue to monitor his situation closely to make a decision on this matter.”

In any case, this cancellation is a new blow for the organization of the GP Sven Nys, because Michael Vanthourenhout (illness) and Lars van der Haar (knee pain) also abandoned.

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