"I had already accepted that I wouldn't be a professional cyclist anymore" - Taco van der Hoorn on his incredible comeback story

Taco van der Hoorn struggled with the aftermath of a concussion for a long time, which made it questionable for a long time whether he would still be able to practice as a professional cyclist. That question was answered with a clear yes at Elfstedenrace last month.

Things went wrong for Van der Hoorn during the 2023 Tour of Flanders. After that, the Dutch rider had stay out of competition for more than a year with consequences of a concussion.

"It was very hard. Because the situation was so hopeless. I didn't know how long the complaints would last. That gnaws at you. Enormously. Yes, I doubted whether I would ever get healthy again. Then you are in deep trouble and you think that it will never get better. But I was also often combative. Also because you don't really have a choice. You have to keep going," says the sympathetic cyclist in an interview with AD.

In January of this year, Van der Hoorn seriously considered quitting as a cyclist. Pinning on a race number again seemed unachievable. "That's when I seriously thought my professional career would be over." Van der Hoorn focused on more feasible alternatives. "I thought a lot about it. What do I want to do? Travel? Study? Work? All things that I physically couldn't do at the time, but those options were more realistic than racing again. At that point, I had actually already accepted that I wouldn't be a professional cyclist anymore. Strangely enough, that gave me some peace of mind."

During the difficult period, Van der Hoorn had a lot of support from his cycling buddies Jan-Willem van Schip, Thymen Arensman and Martijn Tusveld. "I called friends a lot. Every day. With my cycling buddies Jan-Willem van Schip, Thymen Arensman and Martijn Tusveld. They helped me incredibly. Those friendships also go much further than the race. I also knew that I could count on them," he looks back gratefully.

Van der Hoorn's current contract with Intermarché - Wanty expires this season, so it remains to be seen whether he can continue his career as a cyclist in the coming years. His victory in the Elfstedenrace could not have come at a better time in that respect. "The fact that I have won again is nice in terms of timing. It is confirmation of what I already knew, but what the general public now also knows: I am back."