ProTeam Good news: Florian Vermeersch and Lennert Van Eetvelt making their return at the Belgian Championships

After a nasty crash in the Tour of Murcia, where Florian Vermeersch broke his left thigh bone, he not only had to cross out his spring classics but also the rest of the season so far. Vermeersch worked his way back over a long road. In recent weeks, he prepared himself in Sierra Nevada, and there is finally light at the end of the tunnel: this coming Sunday, he will be at the start of the Belgian Championship road race. "Normally, my return was scheduled for August, but I feel good and really want to race again," says Vermeersch. "I thought, 'I'll just start at the Belgian Championship and see what happens.'"

After months of rehabilitation, Vermeersch is finally back to his old self. "I have been training for two months without complications. Everything has healed well. I will stay in Sierra Nevada until Friday, then return home for the national championship. I haven't raced much; it has been a really long time, so I have no idea about my level. The signals are good, and I am especially happy to be back. After the Belgian Championship, it will probably take some time before I race again; during the Tour, there is simply not much of a program. So, I will mainly try to enjoy this coming weekend, where hopefully we can achieve a good result with the team."

And there is more good news to announce, as Lennert Van Eetvelt is also returning to competition. He will already be at the start of the Belgian Championship time trial tomorrow, Thursday, and will also be part of the team on Sunday. Van Eetvelt dropped out with knee problems after Strade Bianche. On top of that, he was hit by a car during his first long training since that injury, at the end of May. "In recent weeks, I feel more and more like a cyclist again," he says. "I feel my condition improving, and that is good. On Thursday, I will start without expectations. It will mainly be good to be back on the bus with my teammates and pin a race number again."

Pictures: PhotoNews