SUNWEB. Veelers costretto al ritiro

PROFESSIONISTI | 01/12/2016 | 13:24
I persistenti problemi al ginocchio costringono l’olandese Tom Veelers a chiudere anzitempo la sua carriera. Il 32enne olandese, sotto contratto con il Team Sunweb nel 2017, è alle prese ormai da due anni con un oproblema che nemmeno due interventi chirurgici sono riusciti a risolvere. E nonostante i lenti progressi, la speranza di un recupero definitivo sembra ormai lontanissima e ha portato Veelers a prendere qiuesta decisione. Il Team però ha deciso di non privarsi dell’esperienza di Veelers che entrerà a far parte dello staff tecnico della squadra.

Veelers è passato professionista con la squadra olandese nel 2008 e può vantare quattro vittorie in carriera tra i professionisti ma soprattutto ha saputo diventare uno dei “vagoni” più importanti per il treno dei suoi capitani velocisti.

«Non posso più vivere nell'incertezza di tornare o meno ad alto livello - spiega Veelers : gli ultimi anni sono stati duri, ma non ci sono stati i progressi che mi aspettavo. Ora il team mi offre una nuova opportunità. La mia carriera? Sono orgoglioso di quel che ho fatto e del ruolo che ho avuto nella crescita del team. Ho imparato come deve funzionare una vera squadra. Certo che mi sarebbe piaciuto continuare a correre, ma non vedo alcuna possibilità di farlo. Sono una persona riflessiva e la decisione non è stata presa durante una sola notte».

Il CEO del team Iwan Spekenbrink ha aggiunto: «È difficile vedere una carriera finire in questo modo. Insieme a Tom abbiamo raggiunto i primi risulttati importanti nella storia della squadra. Lui è un vero e proprio elemento cardine del nostro team e siamo molto felici di continuare a lavorare insieme».

Il dottor Anko Boelens spiega meglio la lesionie di cui soffre Veelers: «Tom ha combattuto il dolore al ginocchio causato da un difetto della cartilagine sul giunto rotulo-femorale. Per superare il suo infortunio, Tom ha subito due interventi chirurgici, ha fatto fisioterapia, si è affidato al chiropratico. Purtroppo, il dolore al ginocchio è rimasto e continuare la sua carriera non aveva senzo».

A persisting knee injury forces Tom Veelers (NED) to quit cycling at the end of the current season. The 32-year-old Dutchmen - still under contract with Team Sunweb in 2017 - has been battling ongoing knee problems from the 2015 pre-season and has undergone two operations in an attempt to recover. However, progress has been slow and hopes for a full recovery have now faded. After extensive talks with the team, Veelers has decided to end his active cycling career and use his drive and experience to start a new chapter in his life - within the team. Veelers will extend his commitment to the team and will use the upcoming period to orientate for a function within the team’s coaching staff and in the team’s headquarters.

Veelers turned professional with the team in 2008 and can look back on a glorious career where he took four professional victories. Maybe even more impressive was his development as a lead-out rider in the sprint preparation and together with his teammates led the sprinters to many victories, including eight Tour de France stages, three Giro d’Italia stage wins and a stage victory in the Vuelta a España. Having fast legs, Veelers proved it with the third place in the sprint on stage four of the 2014 Tour de France. From the classics, Paris-Roubaix suited him best with a 13th place in 2010 as a highlight.

"I came to the conclusion that I can’t live any longer in an uncertainty of returning to the highest level or not, without real progression in the recovery," said Veelers. "The last one and a half years have been tough, battling recovery. The realization that my career could have ended came gradually, and accelerated when we started talking about the future and the arising opportunity within the team.

"I look back on my career very proudly and happily. I am blessed with the chances I’ve had and we’ve created as a team. Together we grew and have experienced a lot. As a person I’ve developed, learned life lessons and I gained confidence. In the team I learned to function as a real team, with great cooperation. This was something completely new to me at that time and this approach brought us a lot of success, and still does.

“Of course I would have loved to continue racing for some years, but I don’t see any other possibility than to stop. I am a thoughtful person and the decision hasn't been made overnight. This step will mean a new chapter in my life and I am very much looking forward to it. I am happy to add my value to the team in a new way now and thinking about the future gives me a new energy."

CEO Iwan Spekenbrink (NED) added: “It’s difficult to see a career of such a sportsmen end in this way. The progression Tom has made is impressive and together we reached the first highlights in the history of the team - where Tom played a major role. He is a real culture carrier in the team and we’re very happy and proud that we will continue to work together. Tom supports our philosophy and our approach to modern cycling and we have a lot of mutual respect for each other.

"He will be a huge asset as he brings plenty of experience and knowledge, which he can share within the team. Next to that, Tom has been riding with the team for nine years and he has a great working relationship with everyone. We are pleased that Tom extends his commitment as he has the potential to become a valuable member of our staff."

Team physician Anko Boelens (NED) explained Veelers' injury: "Tom has been fighting knee pain caused by a cartilage defect on the patella-femoral joint, between the patella and the femur. To overcome his injury, Tom underwent two surgeries to fix the defect cartilage. In addition, he did physiotherapy, as well as treatments from the chiropractor. Unfortunately, he is still suffering from pain in the knee and he is unable to put pressure on the affected area, and as a consequence needs to end his professional career."