"Tiesj Benoot thinks I'm crazy" - Victor Campenaerts considered "weird" by teammates for enjoying indoor training
Cycling
Victor Campenaerts was forced to abandon the Itzulia Basque County last month after a crash during third stage that saw him walk away with fractured scapula. It's never good to break a bone in preparation towards Tour de France, but the Belgian was able to keep rhythm through indoor training sessions.
Not every rider fancies training on rollers, but that's not the case for Campenaerts. "Luckily, I like doing that quite a bit," he tells Sporza from Sierra Nevada altitude. "Tiesj Benoot thinks I'm crazy. He says he hasn't cycled for three weeks. Tiesj thinks riding on rollers is hopeless."
However he too misses riding outside. "It's starting to itch," Campenaerts admits then. "Certainly here on the mountain where I am the only Tour rider for the time being, together with Tadej Pogacar." Next Friday, part of the Tour team will join the Belgian, and then he can immediately go on the road. "I could have done that two weeks ago, but the team prefers not to take any risks."
Campenaerts understands that. "A pro rarely falls during training, but imagine that at the end of an interval training I am completely exhausted and fall over at a traffic light because I can't get out of my clipless pedal. That would be very amateurish."
While he's yet to train outside, the 33-year-old emphasizes that he's ready for competition. "I have full control over my bike. The bone has healed nicely and I can put power back in, pull hard on my handlebars and stand straight on the pedals."
But not everything is perfect yet. "Getting a coffee mug off the shelf is still difficult with my right arm," laughs the former european time trial champion. "Then I really have to concentrate. But it will all be fine. I do exercises to quickly be fully mobile with my shoulder again."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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