Shirin van Anrooij far from the best in Boom after a break: "It's a wake-up call. I didn't really know what to expect"

Shirin van Anrooij made her return to the field in Boom on Saturday after a month and a half absence. The Baloise Trek Lions lady finished ninth in the Superprestige round, a result that is far from her usual places. In de Leiderstrui spoke with her afterwards.

"It's a wake-up call. I didn't really know what to expect, but after three weeks of training it was a real shock. From the start I was chasing because they entered the gates in front of me and I had nowhere to go. Then I actually came back to the group for fifth and sixth place, but then I went down somewhere and they were gone," she sums up her race-day.

"I notice that I am still a bit of a diesel," Van Anrooij concludes. "I can ride at the same pace for a long time, but those accelerations still don't work. In cyclo-cross you really need race rhythm, while on the road you can hide a little more. You can just sit in the peloton there, but that won't work here. After this weekend I will continue training."

What exactly are the feelings ahead of Flamanville then? "I'm not disappointed, but I notice that that explosive start hasn't happened yet and that it didn't really work. Without that fall I would have competed for fifth place, which wouldn't be too bad. I want more than ninth or tenth place."