Koen de Kort recovered and ready to race in Tirreno-Adriatico
On the morning before the start of Tirreno-Adriatico, we talked with Team Argos-Shimano rider Koen de Kort to discuss the upcoming week and the classics after his recovery from a broken collarbone.
“The last week on the bike I didn’t have any pain in my collarbone anymore,” he said, “and I didn’t even think about it. I feel better every day and I can do everything again, from sprinting to descending. When I broke my collarbone I made an ideal plan for the upcoming races, but it’s amazing that it would progress like this.”
About the upcoming week de Kort said: “This is my first stage race again and it is all about getting into shape. I will see how it goes day by day. It isn’t realistic to have a position in the sprint train at the beginning of the race, but I will definitely do everything I can to work for the team and see if I can take part in the sprint train by the end of the race when I hopefully have gained the speed.
“After Tirreno-Adriatico I will start in Milan–San Remo. From there I will travel to Dwars door Vlaanderen, where I came in third last year, and then to E3 Prijs, Gent-Wevelgem and after that one of the highlights of the season, the Ronde van Vlaanderen. If everything goes to plan I will be in top shape in Vlaanderen to hopefully help the guys the win.
“I am fully motivated to start racing again, especially after Marcel Kittel’s win in Paris-Nice. It’s absolutely amazing what Marcel showed today. He was by far the fastest, and the teamwork was really good. Everything fell into place today. It’s great for the team to win a stage like this.”
De Kort will start tomorrow alongside John Degenkolb (GER), Tom Dumoulin (NED), Johannes Fröhlinger (GER), Simon Geschke (GER), Ramon Sinkeldam (NED), Matthieu Sprick (FRA) and Albert Timmer (NED) in Tirreno-Adriatico, which will end March 12.
