November 14th 2022 may be Wout van Elzakker's 24th birthday, sadly however, it will more likely be remembered as the first day of the Hoogerheide-born rider's early retirement.
Initially showing promise as a time trial specialist, van Elzakker got his first chance as a trainee at Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel, before moving to Luxembourgish continental side Differdange in 2019. Due to the Covid pandemic, the Dutchman didn't ride in 2020, returning to action in 2021 with Italian team Vini Zabù before the team folded at the end of that year.
His most recent and final team was the Bahrain Cycling Academy, a feeder team for Bahrain - Victorious. However as that team has also now folded, van Elzakker won't be looking for a transfer in preparation for 2023.
Being without a team is not the reason for his retirement though, “In August I had an examination for a narrowing/kink in my femoral arteries. Then I got a second opinion. It turned out that the problem was bigger than it first appeared. The problem is in both leg arteries.” van Elzakker says. "When I heard this I also got the news that my current team is ending. I started to doubt whether I would operate.”
A sad end to a career that promised much. “It hasn't gone the way I wanted for a number of years. In other words, it just went bad." van Elzakker reflected. "The mentality also came into play. I've decided to stop for now."
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