Quinten Hermans has had a breakthrough season on the road, winning the queen stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour, finishing on the podium of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and finishing third at the BEMER Cyclassics. He's extended his period on the bike for the first section of the Cyclocross season, and is now taking a break after the European Championships.
"It wasn't a hard fall, but I did feel it in my back and neck," Hermans told Het Laatste Nieuws in a post-race interview. He was one of the big candidates for the medals, having a strong past in Namur and showing good form recently, but he has suffered a lot with the detereorating weather conditions, crashing and puncturing on multiple occasions on the opening laps.
“At that point I definitely still had a chance to participate, but then those two flat tires came and it was over. Well, that's Namur, isn't it. You know you can get a flat very quickly here," he pointed out. He was not the only main figure to abandon the race, as Eli Iserbyt did so aswell with an injury. Hermans however had the Europeans specifically targeted and as the main goal of his first half of the season.
Now, he will be stepping away from the bike, taking a break from the season, to return later in the year and likely with his new Alpecin-Deceuninck outfit. “Just clear my head. I leave the bike aside for a week or two," he continued.
"Apart from this EC I really need a break. In the past few weeks I already felt that the best was off. Instead of jumping on my bike at half past nine, I sometimes dared to leave an hour later. Then you will know," Hermans concluded.
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