Emotional Van der Hoorn is back after win: "Wondered if I could have a normal life again at all"

It was a stunning victory for Taco van der Hoorn on Wednesday afternoon in his home country of the Netherlands. The Intermarché-Wanty rider won the BetCity Elfstedenrace after returning to the peloton in August of this year following his crash in the 2023 Tour of Flanders. Van der Hoorn had been struggling with the effects of a concussion for a long time since then. So, it was an emotional victory, he also told himself.

"This is very special. It does me a lot," said a visibly emotional Van der Hoorn afterward in the flash interview. "I haven't been able to ride a bike for over a year. I was on the sidelines for ten months. Thinking very strongly that I could never be a cyclist again. Whether I could lead an everyday life again was already the question.... It's been very tough."

Despite the extended rest period, the Dutchman had known for some time that he had good legs. "I knew the past few months that I was super good, but it kept failing to come out because the races were too easy. Now, there was finally a bit of wind, and it worked. That's really fantastic."

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"You always need a little luck, but it worked out," said Taco van der Hoorn

In the final, Van der Hoorn was in a leading group of five. Among them were fast men like Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Jelte Krijnsen (Parkhotel Valkenburg), but the Dutchman didn't care. "I didn't really care because I knew I wasn't going to win the sprint anyway," he said. "Whether Laporte was there or not didn't matter much to me. I knew I had to attack in the last kilometers. I know that once you have a gap, you're off. I created a gap at one point and didn't stop. Having the wind in my favor... Fantastic."

And so, with the overall victory in his pocket, Van der Hoorn could look back on a tough day in the Frisian countryside. "Especially the first hour was very tough. Whenever we were in a good position with the team, we were always with four or five men. That was super good. Only after that, with a headwind, it went a bit static. Then, the race got a little flat. Just then, I noticed that I had a lot left. I had confidence that I could finish. You always need a bit of luck, but it worked out." All in all, it was a fantastic day for the returning Dutchman!

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