Victor Campenaerts Returns to Competition at Critérium du Dauphiné After Injury
Belgian cyclist Victor Campenaerts is set to make his comeback to racing after a ten-week recovery from a serious crash. The 31-year-old suffered a fracture in a vertebra and the pubic bone during the Bredene Koksijde Classic in March, derailing his Classics campaign. Campenaerts has been preparing for his return at a four-week altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada and will make his comeback at the Critérium du Dauphiné, a WorldTour stage race in France, which takes place from June 4-11.
Campenaerts spoke about the challenges he faced during his recovery and his modest ambitions for the race, saying, “Despite the severe injuries, the recovery process went quite smoothly but I realise that it was quite a long way back… To prepare the Critérium du Dauphiné, I chose for a stay of four weeks at Sierra Nevada. At the moment, I feel quite good during training but my ambitions at the Dauphiné remain limited to getting the race rhythm back, helping my teammates and finishing the race in the best possible way.”
Although he missed out on participating in the spring Classics, Campenaerts closely followed his team, Lotto Dstny’s performances. He expressed his motivation to be a part of the team’s success in the coming months, saying, “The team showed itself, obtained strong results and I hope to be a part of that in the next few months. With so many strong riders, it will already be a battle to make the selection.”
Following the Critérium du Dauphiné, Campenaerts plans to head to an altitude training camp in mid-June to prepare for his upcoming races, including the Belgian road championship, Franco Belge, Sibiu Tour, and Tour de Wallonie. He mentioned that participating in the Tour de France was never really an option for him this year, as his focus is on building a competitive level and achieving his dream of winning a one-day race or stage.
Victor Campenaerts prepares for his return to competition at Critérium du Dauphiné. (Image: Photo News)
