Thomas de Gendt hopes to ride Tour de France in spite of recent hand injury: "It will depend on my performance in the coming weeks"

Thomas De Gendt, stage winner from last edition of the race, is not participating in the Giro d'Italia for the first time since 2018 this year because Lotto-Dstny declined a wildcard. The Belgian is now preparing for the Tour de France, but tells Het Nieuwsblad that he is not yet fully fit and is not sure of participation.

"I still suffer from a hand injury," says De Gendt, who was struggling with a fracture during Paris-Nice. "Bumps still hurt, I avoid cobblestones, but I can get back on the road for a while. I am catching up on the backlog I have accumulated. I was able to cycle consistently, but the intensity was lower than usual, especially on the rollers. You can't sit on it for 5 hours a day, because then you want to throw that thing away after a week."

De Gendt would like to return to the Tour de France. "I'm on a longlist with twelve names. It will depend on my performance in the coming weeks and, of course, that of the others. I still ride Rund um Köln, Boucles de Mayenne and then Dauphiné. Then the decision will happen. I tried to promote myself a bit in a role that Maxime Montfort took on in 2019. He then also rode his last Tour and took care of the front."

Thomas de Gendt dedicated his season to work for his team leaders so far in 2023. But it's only a matter of time before the so-called "Breakaway King" strikes again.