The Lotto Soudal rider indicates not being sufficiently recovered from the past few intensive months, in which he set a new world Hour Record in Aguascalientes on 16 April as the ultimate highlight. Campenaerts will also not be at the start of the BinckBank Tour.
Victor Campenaerts: “As of December, when I was recovering from my knee injury, I built up a performance curve, which lasted all the way till the Belgian time trial championships. With the altitude training camp in Namibia, the stay and successful Hour Record attempt in Mexico, the Tour de Romandie, the two second places in the Giro time trials and a fruitful Tour of Belgium with a stage victory, I had a very intensive period. Eventually, it already became clear at the Belgian time trial championship that my performance curve had been seriously waned. The short rest period I planned did not prove to be enough in order to fully recover. That is exactly why I – at the moment – have not reached the desired shape to participate in the European time trial championships and the BinckBank Tour. The success of the months April and May – which resulted from the intensive preparation period that started in December – has caused the build-up to go slower and that is why I will be a non-starter at both events.”
The following riders will represent Lotto Soudal at the coming European championships in the Dutch city of Alkmaar.
Time trial
Ladies U23: Alana Castrique.
Men U23: Brent Van Moer and Ilan Van Wilder.
Mixed Team Relay: Thomas De Gendt, Lotte Kopecky and Lawrence Naesen.
Ladies Elite: Julie Van de Velde.
Road race
Ladies U23: Alana Castrique.
Men U23: Stan Dewulf, Sébastien Grignard, Gerben Thijssen and Brent Van Moer.
Ladies Elite: Lotte Kopecky and Kelly Van den Steen.
Men Elite: Jens Keukeleire and Lawrence Naesen.
