Belgian one-day star Tiesj Benoot is to miss the Spring Classics, following a back operation on a herniated disc. It’s a far from ideal start for the 31-year-old at his new Decathlon CMA CGM team, for whom the former Strade Bianche winner was set to have been a leading Classics hope.
“During his winter preparation, Tiesj Benoot experienced back pain that disrupted his training schedule,” the team said in a press release. “Following a consultation and diagnosis by the team’s medical department, a disc herniation was identified, requiring surgical intervention.
Now, alas, Benoot will not get his chance and he will now have to re-plan his season. However, a successful recovery will mean he should get his moment as a high-level domestique at the Giro d’Italia for Felix Gall, or at the Vuelta España for Matthew Riccitello, and there are plenty more one-day races this season that may become new personal targets for the Belgian.
A fine all-rounder, Benoot’s win in the 2018 Strade Bianche still sits at the top of his palmarès, but he has also won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (2023), was second on GC at Paris-Nice in 2020 and has twice finished third at Amstel Gold.
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