Belgian back on track for good results after long recovery from knee surgery
Landbouwkrediet rider Bert de Waele was recovering from a knee injury last winter, and took his first victory since 2009 with his recent stage win at Paris-Corrèze. Back then the breakaway specialist took the queen stage of the Tour of Belgium. The Belgian now says he has regained his confidence and hopes for more top results in the future.
At Paris-Corrèze, De Waele was second on stage one, four seconds behind Samuel Dumoulin. He then won stage two en route to a second place overall. “I have found my form again, that is now certain,“ he tells Belgian paper La Derniere Heure. “I think I am even a bit better than when I finished here fourth two years ago.“
De Waele has many good results – he came home fourth in the Amstel Gold Race last year, was second in the Tour du Haut Var and 11th at Fleche Wallonne. This year, he ended the Tour of Belgium in fourth place overall. But winning? “This makes me believe that I can still win,“ he says about the confidence booster. “I am not someone who wins a lot of races and this is a superb re-compensation for what I suffer.“ De Waele did not have the best of luck with his body. “Two knee operations and six months of inactivity, but now I have returned.“
De Waele notices that he is getting better again in recovering after the races. “[That’s] because I had a continued race schedule,“ he explains. His next races, the Tour du Limousin and Châteauroux, are for preparing a good end of the season. “I really want to be in shape for the Grand Prix Wallonie and Paris-Bruxelles,“ he says. He took the GP Wallonie in 2007 and was fourth in Paris-Bruxelles in 2008. “If otherwise I have the legs, I will certainly try to grab some results.“
De Waele has been with Landbouwkrediet since 2001 and has still a contract until 2012. “In the past I said that may be a good time to stop,“ the 36-year-old says. “Maybe I have to rethink that. If I can keep my form it may be better to continue,“ he muses. He still has a season and a half to go before he has to make a decision. “It is too early to speculate about it. It also depends a lot on the team. If it stays in the peloton and I can help them I would love to continue.“