Xandro Meurisse looks towards next season after a year hampered by injuries and ilness: "I am convinced that I have much more to offer"

A top 10 result in the overall ranking of the Tour of Turkey did not save Xandro Meurisse's season, but his strong final month of the season did benefit the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider. Back problems and illness kept him from his best level for almost the entire year, he explains to WielerFlits.

"It certainly wasn't my best season. One with ups and downs, but the bad moments still prevailed. I see that myself and I have indicated this to the team management. I am convinced that I have much more to offer than what was to be seen this year, and in 2024 I would like to reinforce those words," the Belgian states.

"I had started the year quite well, until I broke my wrist during the Amstel Gold Race. Then you know you're out for a while. Still, I immediately turned the switch and put everything on the Tour through an altitude training camp, but unfortunately I missed out on the selection. Autumn will be my period, I thought. But during the Druivenkoers I contracted Covid, which meant I had to start over again. For the umpteenth time."

"In modern cycling there are no longer easy races. Even in a race like that of Turkey you can no longer get a good result at 80 percent. Even though everything that could have gone wrong this season was also bad for me, I can still benefit from this. And the results of the team. My teammates have had a fantastic year, which only motivates me more to contribute."