Dutchman was originally slated for Paris-Nice and will now miss crucial Italian race as well
The much anticipated spring season of Vacansoleil's all around talent, Johnny Hoogerland, took another hit today when it was announced by his team that he'll miss out on the upcoming Tirreno-Adriatico.
The Dutchman fell ill with the flu late last week and had to cancel his start at the currently running Paris-Nice. There was hope that he would recover rapidly and thus be able to take part in the other big classics season prep race, the Race of the Two Seas, Tirreno-Adriatico.
Unfortunately, his recovery didn't come along quickly enough, so both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico will come and go before Hoogerland is able to return to racing. Hoogerland's Vacansoleil team prefers to keep the aggressive rider out of racing a little while longer to ensure full health from one of their big hopes.
There could be a slight bright spot in all of this for Hoogerland though. The rider, who took on an extremely difficult early season schedule last year and wound up with little to show for his efforts, will be set back a bit, but his goals for the spring had already been shifted. Hoogerland's main targets will be the Ardennes Classics, and to prepare for those, his lead-up will include the Volta a Catalunya and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco - unlike last year, where his Ardennes warm-up came on the cobbles of Belgium.
It will be tough for the 27 year old Dutchman to get to as high of a level as he might have achieved if he had managed to stay healthy during this critical time, but all is not lost just yet.
With the loss of Riccardo Ricco, Hoogerland's options in the Ardennes should open up even more. He'll likely be the team's number one rider for the three hilly classics that define the second half of April.