Kris Boeckmans' long awaited return to racing was confirmed by Lotto Soudal earlier this week, and the Belgian will line up Friday at the 1.1 Handzame Classic in his first race since crashing out of the Vuelta a Espana last year and being placed in an induced coma for two weeks. At a press-conference on the eve of the Belgian race, the 29-year-old explained he always believed he would recover from his injuries and return to the pro peloton.
"From the moment I could start my rehabilitation I didn't doubt for a second. I didn't throw away one day. The most important aspect in this story is my mental resilience," said Boeckmans, who also suffered facial trauma, three broken ribs and bleeding on the lung in the crash. "I had a goal in mind and knew that I would achieve it. I gave all I got without forcing anything. Mentally it was harder than physically. It's not a problem to do the exercises and follow the guidelines you get. But sometimes you have a difficult moment and then you have to be mentally strong enough to hold on."
Only able to ride for five minutes at a time on October, Boeckmans explained that he is unsure how his body will react to the demands of racing but approaches his return to in familiar fashion.
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“Tomorrow I'll start the Handzame Classic as I'd start any race," he said. "Mentally I am more than 100 per cent ready, I'll see how it will be physically. The test are really good and the trainings are going great. But every rider knows a race isn't the same as a training. There are so many things that can happen. I don't know how it will be during the race, but I'm keen."
Team manager Marc Sergeant explained that Lotto Soudal's first concern for Boeckmans was always personal and is still coming to terms with his quick recovery considering just six-months that he was in a coma.
"Our first goal was to let Kris become human again. That was already a big performance," said Sergeant. "The fact that he's back in competition so soon tells a lot about Kris as a person.
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