His challenge was derailed by the crash which saw himself and Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky Procycling) left wounded after an incident involving a badly-driven car, but Johnny Hoogerland has vowed to return to the Tour de France in future years and take the King of the Mountains classification.
The Vacansoleil rider led the competition this year but his grip on the jersey was loosened after his heavy crash on stage nine to Saint Flour. He ended that day with a six point lead over Thomas Voeckler and a 17 point advantage on Tejay Van Garderen (HTC Highroad); the jersey slipped away from him on stage 12 to Luz Ardiden.
“I felt very good, actually, better than I ever felt,” the Dutchman told VeloNation in a video interview this week. “Then I had the big crash which changed everything…from my goal of having the polka dot jersey in Paris, it is now getting into Paris.”
Hoogerland explained that the energy demands of recovering from injury meant that his form dropped away. He’s determined to return in the future and make up for that.
“It is my jersey…the polka dot jersey belongs to me,” he said. “When I am in the polka dot jersey, I am someone else.”
The 28 year old won the King of the Mountains competition in last year’s Tour of Poland, then went on to do the same in the Tour of Britain. Taking it in the Tour de France would be a big step up but, following the disappointment of being unable to defend the jersey because of his injuries, he’s determined to try.