"I was 3 weeks off the road" - Tim Wellens eager for his comeback at De Brabantse Pijl

Tim Wellens is a previous winner of De Brabantse Pijl and this Friday he makes a comeback to racing in front of his home crowds. The Belgian national champion is back to racing and will be one of UAE Team Emirates - XRG's leaders in the search for a victory.

“I’m looking forward to my first race back after the crash – it took quite a long time before I was back. I was 3 weeks off the road in total and lost quite a bit of condition. I’ve been able to build up some form but feel like I’m still far from my best shape," Wellens said in a press release issued by the team.

Wellens was a key part of Tadej Pogacar's support crew for the spring classics however, even without him, the World Champion was able to win all races except for Paris-Roubaix. Wellens crashed out of Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne and suffered a fractured collarbone. For three weeks he did not train on the road and, with another three weeks of training, he is now on track to resume his initial schedule. The Belgian is likely to race the Ardennes classics soon as an important part of a UAE that has several of its cards injured.

“I have great memories from Brabantse Pijl since my victory in 2018 – it’s a race that suits me. I’m also very happy to show my national jersey again in Belgium. I won’t have the best legs but I’ll do my best to work for the team as I build up for the goals ahead.”

In the Belgian classic he will be joined by Benoît Cosnefroy, himself a previous leader of the classic and a man still on the hunt for his first win in the UAE jersey; and Florian Vermeersch who has had a stellar spring campaign with plenty top results. He most recently crashed out of Paris-Roubaix, however did not suffer meaningful injuries from it.

Filippo Baroncini, Mikkel Bjerg, Luca Giaimi and under-23 rider Matteo Vanden Wijngaert complete the lineup.