Gerben Kuypers' cyclocross season may be over as he struggles to overcome health issues: "He talked about his airways and was very concerned about it"

Gerben Kuypers took some rest in early December, but his return to racing in recent weeks proved to be a big struggle. The Belgian cyclocross rider, winner of the Kermiscross Ardooie, may have his season over if he is unable to overcome his ongoing problems.

“We expected that the training camp in Spain would improve things, but that didn't work. He really hasn't been feeling well in recent weeks," Circus-Reuz-Technord DS Bart Wellens told Wielerflits in Diegem. “We have now decided to remove all races from his schedule. Internally we are working on what needs to be done. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work and he has to take action. We are in a busy period and the championships are coming up. Today we had a call with Aike Visbeek and the doctor. In the coming days we will know whether he will continue the season or not. That is still uncertain at the moment.”

The 23-year old had a strong start to the cyclocross season and was one of the breakthrough riders. Although he didn't keep the same rate of results throughout the winter, he would be a frequent presence in the Top10 right up until the Troyes World Cup where he finished fourth. From there on he began to struggle with results. Fatigue and illness could be behind it, but the problems were not solved following some rest. “But we have all seen that it is not good. At one point he talked about his airways and was very concerned about it. He has never felt this before and is worried," Wellens tells.

"But I can't say much else about it, we don't really know yet what is going on. It is important that we can calmly investigate what is wrong and then make a decision. His health comes first. He has to be healthy first, then we can look at the rest. If all goes well, the intention is for him to ride more on the road next year. Also in the WorldTour. He showed great things last year and worked well for his teammates. So we really see potential in him, he can go far. We see possibilities, such as with Quinten Hermans, for example, but he still has to grow. It's all still new to him.”