Dutch rider Johnny Hoogerland had high hopes of an excellent 2010 season but things haven’t quite gone to plan for the 27 year old. He’s been solid rather than spectacular, and will now miss the Tour of Switzerland as his Vacansoleil team has decided to put another rider in the squad.
"The very fit Joost Leijen is currently a better choice in the eyes of the team management,” a representative from the squad told the website Wielerflits.
Hoogerland had his best-ever season last year, with his run of results starting with a stage win plus the overall classification in the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, as well as twelfth in the Tour of Flanders.
Vancansoleil didn’t compete in the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France, but Hoogerland finished twelfth overall in the Vuelta a España, was 14th (and first Dutch rider) in the world road race championships, and then fifth in the Giro di Lombardia.
In that context, missing a race as big as the Tour de Suisse shows that things have not continued as planned for the Vacansoleil rider.
Overtraining is one possibility for his fluctuating form. He had a very heavy programme last season, clocking up 16,105 kilometres of racing. This was reported as being the third-highest in the peloton. Despite that volume, he went on to log up 8400 kilometres in training in the three months following November 20th, averaging over 800 kilometres per week.
The work led to some good early season form. He was second in the season-opening GP d’Ouverture La Marseillaise and third overall in the Tour Méditerranean, as well as 11th in the Ruta del Sol. His form faltered in Paris-Nice, where he was only 81st overall, but he rallied somewhat to take eleventh in the Tour of Flanders and 25th in Paris-Roubaix. However efforts to build higher didn’t bear fruit – he was 63rd overall in the Tour of Belgium and pulled out of the Tour of Luxembourg, although he did sacrifice his chances for victorious team-mate Matteo Carrara in the latter.
Hoogerland spoke about the decision to miss the Swiss event, saying that he would also pass on his home race, the Delta Tour Zeeland, and will instead ride next week’s Tour of Slovenia.
"It would be different if I would feel fit as a fiddle, but it is not. I was super-tired on Monday when I returned from the Tour of Luxembourg. The team were all exhausted after riding for Matteo Carrara, who won the race,” he told the Tour de Zélande website.
He feels that there was nothing wrong with his condition. “I’ve been sick a few weeks in May, which is what affected my program. But to say that my form is gone is not the case - I feel okay. I rode pretty well in the Tour of Belgium and also did a lot of work in the Tour of Luxembourg. But now riding the Tour of Switzerland, would not be wise. I can sometimes be stubborn, but Hilaire [Hilaire Vanderschueren, directeur sportif] took the Tour of Slovenia, which begins next Wednesday, as being a better fit. And he is a wise man who I want to listen to.”
Hoogerland said that the race would not be as heavy as the Tour de Suisse, and that he would support Borut Bozic in what is his home Tour.
His Vacansoleil team had been hoping for a wild card invitation to the Tour de France but was passed over. He performed very well in the Vuelta last year, and would like to go back to the race and improve on his showing. However he said that he is not sure if they will get the invite.
Missing out on major events has been difficult for the team. “We do not have the big Tour [Tour de France] and were not allowed to ride the great classics that we wanted to ride. It is also very doubtful whether we can ride the Tour of Spain, but I hope that we will be at the start.”