Joris Nieuwenhuis's competitive return once again delayed: "Despite making great strides in recent weeks, Joris will need a little more time"

Cyclocross World Cup will have it's first round this weekend, but one major name will be missing. Ridley Racing Team is a new team in the cyclocross world, but with leader Joris Nieuwenhuis supported by Felipe Orts, they had hoped to quickly break through a fight for top placings thanks to the Dutchman.

Well, this plan was tossed out of the window because Nieuwenhuis had to postpone his season debut due to illness. In fact, he still hasn't raced yet and as it seems at the moment, the return of Dutch champion will be delayed quite some more. At least in his place, Orts has been performing above expectation so far.

Ridley Racing Team informed today in a short press release on its socials that Nieuwenhuis will require more time to fully recover than anticipated: "Sometimes progress takes patience. Despite making great strides in recent weeks, Joris will need a little more time before returning to competition. After a more intensive training period, it became clear that his body isn’t ready yet. We’re fully committed to supporting Joris in his recovery and won’t rush the process."