Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) says that he's not quite back to full form after breaking a rib earlier this season. Greipel came down in a crash during a crash on the fifth stage of the Volta ao Algarve, suffering bruises and abrasions as well as a broken rib.
He had been going well until then, with two victories in Mallorca already, but was forced to sit out of the opening weekend of the Classics at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne because of the injury. The German is currently competing at the Three Days of De Panne, where he says his main aim is just making it to the finish.
"The ribs are ok, but the problems are the legs now," Greipel told Cyclingnews on the start line of the Three Days of De Panne. "I have to get through this stage. I know that I'm not in 100 per cent shape, the team is good with Pim Ligthart and Sean de Bie. At the finish, I will see where I am. If I am in the front group then, of course, I will try to sprint, but I have to see what happens."
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Greipel went on to finish 13th in the sprint behind stage winner Elia Viviani (Sky).
Greipel made his classics debut at Gent-Wevelgem last Sunday, a race that he finished fourth in back in 2011. There was no such luck this time, and the Lotto-Soudal rider climbed off before the finish. It was a tough introduction to the Belgian cobbles for 2016.
"They say that it's not the best race to start after an injury. I think that I had seven or eight race days before then. It's not easy; you're riding against the best guys at the moment, and it's just not easy to stay with them," Greipel said. "The classics are not playing in the sand. I mean, I've come back from injury, but I have trained hard enough to be competitive in those races. Just to finish those races is already hard, but I have to get through these now and then it will be better."
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