The subject of security in skilled biking has been a scorching subject on the Tour Down Under, with a number of UCI guidelines already newly put into place for 2025 and additional laws designed to scale back speeds within the peloton additionally into account.
Having suffered a extreme concussion that saved him out of competitors for 502 days, security can also be vital to Intermarché-Wanty’s Taco van der Hoorn. But he drew the road on the dialogue of limiting riders to sure gear ratios.
“Personally, I haven’t got a extremely excessive cadence, so I at all times experience an even bigger gear,” Van der Hoorn advised Cyclingnews on the Tour Down Under, the place he ran a 58-tooth chainring and cassette happening to 11 enamel. “I prefer it to experience with 70 rpm on a regular basis. So I’m used to having a better gearing than different folks. So for me personally, it might not be useful.
“I believe going quick can also be a part of biking, so I believe it is a troublesome dialogue, as a result of for those who restrict gears, will we additionally ban skinsuits or aerodynamic bikes since you go too quick?
Other guidelines he agreed with. “I believe [the ban on] sitting on the highest tube [aero tuck] was a very good resolution from the UCI. It was getting a bit harmful, I’ve to say.”
Van der Hoorn was much less of a fan of the brand new laws that eradicated any roadside hand-ups exterior of the feed zones.
“I really feel just like the feed zones are extra harmful … each rider is in every single place, attending to their soigneur, going from left to proper, braking, so really, it is fairly chaotic.
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“Loads of crashes occur in feed zones as a result of it is messy. People get bottles, and everyone is shut to one another. When everyone is unfold out, it is a lot simpler to take your bottle and you do not affect the opposite riders a lot. The guys I’ve spoken to suppose it is worse. I believe it is extra protected to unfold it round. They suppose it is safer however I do not suppose so.”
Concussion restoration
Van der Hoorn suffered a concussion in a crash in the course of the Tour of Flanders in 2023, and whereas there was speak of him returning to competitors earlier final yr, a start-stop restoration meant he did not come again till August. Racing by way of to the final WorldTour race of the yr, the Tour of Guangxi, Van der Hoorn gathered 20 days of racing and a confidence-building victory within the Elfstendrace on October 2nd.
Returning to the Tour Down Under for the third time, Van der Hoorn is absolutely settled into the professional peloton. “Last yr, coming again after this harm, my first race was actually particular, however now it is simply again to enterprise. It feels virtually like I by no means left,” he stated.
Van der Hoorn needed to take on a regular basis life very gently throughout his layoff, in any other case he would endure mind fog and crushing complications. He realized to construct up steadily however stated it was a irritating course of.
“It simply took a extremely very long time to heal, and each time you wanted to make actually small steps – it does not actually assist to simply do nothing – it will not heal for those who simply relaxation. You want to actually slowly construct up, each time giving your mind slightly bit extra stimulus. The steps are so small that it makes it actually troublesome to get a setback.
“That was why it took so lengthy – begins, stops – the steps have been simply so small. And quite a lot of occasions you do good for a month, after which in the future you perform a little bit an excessive amount of, and then you definitely return the place you have been a month in the past, and that is actually irritating.”
The trials of his prolonged rehabilitation at the moment are firmly within the rearview mirror and he is been capable of race with out feeling anxious about it.
“Of course, I’d quite not crash on my head. But I’ve talked with the specialists about it, they usually say there’s the prospect [recovery from another concussion] will take longer – slightly bit larger than with individuals who by no means had a concussion. But it does not must be that method. It will also be that you just get a concussion and in three weeks, you are good once more.
“So I maintain on to that message. If the specialists say that is the way it works, who am I to guage their opinion? So I simply comply with that and hope I do not crash on my head. And if I crash on my head, I’m fairly assured that I’ll come again in a great way.
“You at all times have dangers. Cycling is a harmful sport, and you may have a number of issues [happen]. You may break your hip or one thing like that. It’s an enormous a part of it, sadly.”
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