Tiesj Benoot’s recovery goes faster than expected: "But I don’t want to skip steps"

While most classics specialists use Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico to fine-tune their form for the major classics, Tiesj Benoot will have to watch from the sidelines this spring. Due to a back injury and surgery, he will be out of action for the coming months, but his rehabilitation is progressing as hoped.

Benoot’s start with his new team Decathlon CMA CGM has been anything but smooth. The Belgian recruit has to write off his spring season and beloved classics. Benoot is struggling with a hernia and underwent surgery in February. How is the experienced rider doing now? "I’m doing well now. If I compare today to a week ago, I’ve made progress," he said in the cycling podcast of HLN.

"I already have more confidence in what I do, even in daily life. It’s going faster than I expected. I hope to be able to get back on the rollers soon. My goal is to race again by summer. The sooner the better, of course, but I don’t want to skip any steps."

In other words, Benoot is looking ahead again. "It was disappointing to miss the classics. I rode them for eleven years in a row, but I’ve come to terms with it. The worst part was that it would be my first spring with my new team Decathlon CMA CGM. I wanted to prove myself right away."

About Paul Seixas
The Gent native sees that his team is currently doing very well, especially rising star Paul Seixas. "That he finished second at Strade Bianche is, of course, very impressive. I’ve only done one training camp with him so far. Off the bike, he is a typical young guy, but I don’t see him as a typical young rider. He’s not obsessed with wattages or nutrition. He’s not the type constantly watching his training data. I think there’s still a lot of progress to come."