Lennert van Eetvelt has been, and will be racing Liège with a broken foot - "You can't just solve that problem"

Lennert van Eetvelt is one of the most talented riders in the peloton, and leader of Lotto alongside Arnaud de Lie. It is a big problem for the Belgian team then that for the second season in a row the Belgian is having an injury hamper him throughout the spring, but as it stands currently he will race Liège-Bastogne-Liège with a broken foot and has raced the Tour of Flanders like such as well.

"The Tour of Catalonia was my first race where I was really in good shape. I was satisfied with the race there, although the result was certainly not what it could have been. But then I broke my foot two days before the Tour of Flanders, which didn't help either," van Eetvelt said in an interview with Wielerflits. "And in the Tour [of Flanders] itself, the misery continued."

The 23-year old raced the Tour of Flanders (where he did not finish) and Flèche Wallonne with a broken foot, and will continue to do so. “The problem is that my foot is still broken. You can't just solve that problem. I feel good in training, but if you hardly race, you can't say much about your level.”

He has been medically cleared to be training and racing despite his current condition, but it is without a doubt hindering his fitness and away from the bike he is still at this time required to be walking in a special boot to provide support to the foot.

“Honestly? I am already happy that I can start in Liège," he admits, due to the circumstances. "Something had already happened two years in a row, but on paper it is a race that has to suit me very well. I will be happy if I can race at the front again. Secretly I hope for at least the top 10, under normal circumstances that should always be possible. But with the way I am now, I cannot count on that.”

Days after Liège, the Belgian's packed schedule will continue. “As far as Romandie is concerned, the classification is a goal. There will be one tough stage where you will have to deliver uphill, but otherwise the differences will be made in the prologue and the time trial. That is a nuisance, because I will lose some time there. I have worked on my time trial, but with my current problem that is not easy. That does not give much morale.”