INTERMARKE’ WANTY. KOBE GOOSSENS RETURNS TO ROMANDIA TODAY AFTER EIGHT MONTHS OF ABSENCE

PROFESSIONALS | 04/23/2024 | 08:10

This is Tuesday April 23rd a special day for the Belgian climber Kobe Goossens who will line up at the start of the Tour de Romandie. The 27-year-old runner from Leuven will write down his number for the first time eight months after the fall he suffered during the Vuelta a España. After a knee injury and several operations, Goossens now makes his return to a World Tour stage race.

In addition to Goossens, the Intermarché-Wanty selection will also include Louis Meintjes, recent winner of a stage in the Itzulia Basque Country who is participating for the fourth consecutive year, the young climber Alexy Faure Prost, the team men Rune Herregodts and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk and the speedy Tom Paquot and Dion Smith.

Kobe Goossens explains his emotions like this: «In my first participation in the Tour de Romandie in 2021, I won the king of climbers jersey thanks to several escapes on bad weather days. I like this race and that’s why I’m happy to return to racing here, eight months after my crash in the Vuelta. The knee injury is finally behind him, after a first operation in September and two more in February. Due to these physical issues, I missed several weeks of training last winter, but before this Tour de Romandie I was able to increase the volume and intensity of my rides during a training camp in Calpe. I will take the race day by day and help my teammates as much as possible. My goal is to get back into race rhythm before tackling new altitude training in Andorra, in preparation for the Critérium du Dauphiné. I can’t wait to get back on the road, get back in the group and start racing again.”

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