"I started to feel dizzy": K-B-K revelation Matevz Govekar could've missed the entire spring due to a health condition
Cycling
The 2026 Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne had an unusually controlled run for a second year in a row with once again a large group sprint for the victory. The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad follow-up race sometimes brings forth many unexpected names, this time, fourth place Matevz Govekar was among them. With this result, the 25-year-old Slovenian secured his by-far best result in cobbled classics.
Despite a relatively calm day of racing, big sprinter names, including Jonathan Milan, Biniam Girmay or Paul Magnier lost contact with the main group on the hilly section in first half of the race, while Jasper Philipsen had to solve many mechanical problems and was way out of position to participate in the sprint in Kortrijk. Thus all the eyes were on Matthew Brennan who didn't fail to deliver in a dominant fashion.
But behind the young Brit, a chaos unfolded with riders blocking each other and eventually the Tudor Pro Cycling duo Luca Mozzato and Matteo Trentin came out on top. The former European Champion was just fast enough to slip past Matevz Govekar sprinting on the other side of the road to a close fourth place.
"When I crossed the finish line, I didn't even know if I was third or fourth," the Bahrain - Victorious rider told Siol after the race. "I could have done something differently in the last few hundred meters, but that's how it is."
Podium is the next goal
The lead-out of Brennan's teammate Christophe Laporte was simply devastating, especially in the strong head-wind which caused a tough battle for Brenann's wheel - ultimately with no winner as riders coming from further back gained upper edge.
"There was a strong headwind and I knew I had to wait a bit and not start the sprint too early. Maybe I could have done something differently. I had the option to go to the left side, but I decided to go to the right. I accept the result, I'm happy, but at the same time I know that there will be more opportunities and that I can improve it."
"For me, the key thing in the race was to survive the selection on the challenging slopes, and the wind made it even more difficult. The team and I raced great. Matej (Mohoric, ed.) was also very active, and on the flat part towards the finish, where the selection happened several times, we were always present at the forefront."
Overcoming health difficulties
And just like that, Govekar secured Bahrain - Victorious' best result at the cobbled (semi-) classics since compatriot Matej Mohoric's third place at the same race in 2023, exactly three years ago. Yet Govekar might've missed the start of the season entirely due to a health condition that delayed his preparation past winter.
He explains: "Like every year, I started training at the end of October, and then shortly after the new year I had a minor complication. The doctor diagnosed me with vestibular neuritis, which is inflammation of the balance nerve in my right ear. In practical terms, this meant that I started to feel dizzy."
"I had to see a specialist and then rest for ten days. But I think I laid such a good foundation in December that those ten days didn't significantly affect my form. I started the season well, maybe even fresher than usual. Fortunately, I don't have any more problems now, we also did preventive checks and ruled out other complications."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment