"The doctors can hardly tell me when the bit of effort has healed. It could be a few more weeks, but it could also be a few months" - The path to recovery is very difficult for Taco van der Hoorn
Cycling
Taco van der Hoorn has suffered similar injury in the past however that makes it only a little less difficult to handle the consequences of his last crash. The Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider finished his season in early April and is still yet to recover fully from a concussion.
"But also that you have a headache every day. Of course that's not fun. It also caused my concussion to bother me in everyday life. That I had to stay at home a lot and couldn't actually do much," van der Hoorn shared in an extensive interview with Wielerflits. "No reading a book, no going out with friends, no watching TV, no being with people because it was too busy. Then there isn't much left, of course."
Van der Hoorn crashed during the Tour of Flanders where he hoped to perform. Having ridden to fourth place at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne back in February the 29-year old was definitely a card to play in the spring. Things didn't turn out the best way for him. In Flanders he sustained the injury that ended his season right there, and he hasn't yet been able to resume training properly as he he is bothered by headaches and the lack of his abilities.
"My doctors are confident that this will heal completely. That's because everything else has also completely recovered, the factors that were bothering me," he adds. "But the doctors can hardly tell me when the bit of effort has healed. It could be a few more weeks, but it could also be a few months. That's what makes it… That uncertainty is not the best fun to have. This injury just cannot be predicted."
Holding a contract until the end of 2024 for the time being with the Belgian team, van der Hoorn continues to have time to recover however it is not unlimited. "Ultimately, I have faith that things will turn out well. I hope to be able to join the training camps again this winter."
"It would be great to be able to rebuild with the boys, I really miss that fun of going out together for a six-hour ride through the mountains. And then I hope to really call myself a rider again sometime in the coming months.”
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Throwback to Dwars Door Het Hageland 2017, with 🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel and 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert (and Taco van der Hoorn). Racing for Beobank-Corendon and Veranda's Willems. It's almost unbelievable what has happened since. Only 5 years ago.
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