"I've been robbed of my neo-pro season" - Lotto Soudal neo-pro disappointed with unlucky year

Jarrad Drizner's professional debut was a little bumpier than he expected. An accident in the UAE Tour in February caused him to be off the bike for a considerable period of time.

He returned to the peloton in Tour de Pologne at the end of July. The Vuelta a Espana also provided him with an opportunity to prove himself again, but he was hit by Covid. “It was not what I wanted, put it that way,” Drizners told Cyclingnews. "I worked really hard to get to the Vuelta and then to get COVID, something so silly and to not have many symptoms was really frustrating.”

He does not hide his disappointment. “To try and stay positive at that time was really, really difficult. It's not been a great season for me. I've been robbed of my neo-pro season, I would say, Not many race days, not fulfilling what I wanted to do this year, but next year is a fresh start and I’m looking forward ready to that,” Drizners said.

Next season, he hopes to make up for his slow start. "I just want a full season of racing, just to experience it all, learn lots, hopefully, go to another Grand Tour, and hopefully finish that Grand Tour. And just to do what I can for the boys – like I wanted to do this year - and be a part of the lead-out with Caleb Ewan, one of the fastest sprinters in the world,” Drizners concluded.