You can’t really gauge Pim Ronhaar’s (24) cyclocross season so far. In recent weeks, the former U23 world champion completely faded away, but the team now knows why.
From the Nacht van Woerden through to the European Cyclocross Championships in Middelkerke, we saw the best of Pim Ronhaar again over five races. A rider who could fight for victories, and who might have even succeeded at the European Championships—if he hadn’t been up against an army of Belgians. After the struggles caused by Lyme disease the previous winter, Ronhaar was relieved to be back.
After that, we never saw Ronhaar at the front again. A 16th place in Niel could have been a one-off, but 14th in Merksplas, 13th in Tábor, and 29th in Flamanville suggest there’s more going on.
"These poorer results are due to a back problem," confirms Baloise Glowi Lions team manager Eric Braes to our website. "His pelvis was slightly tilted, causing tightness in the lower back. You obviously can’t perform under those circumstances."
Ronhaar was still in good shape at the European Championships – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
"That issue needed to be resolved, and thankfully it has been. He has been working on his back problem with extra strengthening exercises, but that hasn’t translated into results yet. We’re just waiting to see how his body responds and adapts to the exercises. I’m optimistic it will work out. On the surface, you wouldn’t expect it, but Pim’s fitness is still very good. However, if you were once that strong and are now being held back by a back problem, the mental side starts to play a role as well."
Especially since this isn’t the first time Ronhaar has been set back by an injury. "Last year, the disrupted preparation due to Lyme disease was hard, and during the Christmas period his back also flared up. Since then, he’s never really found his rhythm again. That’s tough. There’s definitely no mental cause, but it’s understandable that you’re unhappy when dealing with a back problem," adds Braes.
The team’s plan now is to get Ronhaar ready for the second half of the season through those exercises and a training camp. "He headed to Sardinia early with teammate David Haverdings for the World Cup. He knows what to work on, and maybe in a few weeks’ time he can return to the form he had a few weeks ago."
Two winters ago, the talent still won World Cup races in Dendermonde and Dublin, before being sidelined for a long time by bad luck.
