"In the beginning it went well and then we tried to return quickly. I got a backlash from that" - Taco van der Hoorn on his road to recovery

Taco van der Hoorn is slowly recovering from a severe concussion and all its consequences. The 29-year old Dutchman from Intermarché-Circus-Wanty crashed hard during Ronde van Vlaanderen and is still far from back on track three months later. He told that on Friday evening at De Avondetappe.

"Under the circumstances, things are going well. I hit my head on a curb and had a concussion that still haunts me today. I had problems with daily things, but luckily that's going well now. At higher effort I only get complaints again, efforts where the heart rate goes up. Then I get headaches, concentration problems and that puts you in a negative spiral," says Van der Hoorn.

"Every time after a setback you can do less, you have to build more and that often happens. I am happy that daily life is going well again. That took quite a long time. In the beginning it went well and then we tried to return quickly. I got a backlash from that. After that I couldn't do everyday things. If it was too busy with people, for example, and I couldn't walk, read, on the phone, watch TV... Then there's not much left. That is getting better with steps, I can now walk the Tour all day long. The effort is the last step I have to make."

"It is a difficult injury," says Van der Hoorn, with a sense of understatement. An injury that he is also familiar with. In 2017 he was also sidelined for months with a concussion. "That took a long time too, so I know what it's like. I also know that I can get rid of it, and then I came back pretty good."

"Five weeks after I was back on my bike, I won a stage in the BinckBank Tour. I just started again, just a week ago. These are short journeys of twenty minutes to half an hour. Then you sometimes get a headache and next time you do a little less. I hope to train a bit more in a few weeks and to ride another race this season. We haven't set any big goals, but if I can race again, I'll be a happy man."