“I have to listen to my body very carefully” - Dutch cyclocross champion ready to start season after illness

Joris Nieuwenhuis has had a difficult few months. The 28 year old, who has left Baloise - Trek Lions for Ridley Racing Team, has not been able to race so far this cross season, after being diagnosed with shingles. Nieuwenhuis won the Dutch championships last year, and a World Cup race, and now is ready to take on the competition for the 2024/2025 season.

Speaking to De Teleggraaf, Nieuwenhuis said, “I had no idea what shingles was. It's a virus that everyone has. But if you had chicken pox as a child, you are immune to it. It is caused by a lack of resistance. I may have caught it a while ago at a competition in Spain, when I went really deep. But I always do that.”

It’s not the first time Nieuwenhuis, who has twice competed at the Tour de France, has been forced to overcome a challenge during his career. Back in 2018, the Dutchman had a pinched inguinal artery, which is essentially a pinched nerve in the groin. “After that operation on my inguinal artery, I knew what to expect. I received guidance and was able to build something up again.

“Now there is no path I can follow. I have to listen to my body very carefully. And our sports doctors play it safe and say: 'do nothing.' That is terrible for someone like me who likes to clock up the miles. Not being able to train is terrible.”

But the end is now in sight for the Ridley Racing rider, who is set to return next week. Speaking to Sporza, the team said, “Joris has been training intensively for the past three weeks. He will finally get the green light in the weekend of 16 and 17 November. The latest tests showed that he has been freed from that virus.”

As Thibau Nys has been dominating the cyclocross season so far next year, it will be great to see if Nieuwenhuis can get back to his form from last year, and start challenging for victories again soon.