Van der Poel fit in time for European Championship after knee injury: "Mathieu was able to train again without pain"

In the time trial of the Renewi Tour, we saw a remarkable incident involving Van der Poel, who - don't ask how! - only just managed to stay on his bike. It was a miraculous save, which, while avoiding the asphalt, did not leave him unhurt. After that fall, the world champion struggled with pain in his knee, which he knocked against the handlebars.

As a precaution, it was decided Sunday not to let MVDP start in the queen stage of the Lower Belgium race. "The last day would only be extra stressful for my knee. So I can't and don't want to take any risks to make it worse. It's a bummer because I was looking forward to the last stage on the Muur van Geraardsbergen," the 29-year-old man from Kapellen concluded.

On Thursday morning, De Telegraaf reported that Van der Poel's team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, said: 'Mathieu did not ride for two days and then started training again. He was able to do that without pain.' In short, this is good news for Van der Poel, his family, and the fan base. And, of course, for KNWU national team coach Koos Moerenhout, who already had quite a lot on his mind...