Nuyens pessimistic about Classics form

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Nick Nuyens joined Garmin-Sharp to help lead them in the Spring Classics but the difficulties from the last 12 months continue to affect him and leave him feeling frustrated ahead of this year’s Classics campaign. The Belgian is still suffering from the after effects of a hip injury suffered in the 2012 Paris-Nice.

A crash in that race left him with a fracture in his right hip, which held him out of racing for two months. He later rode the Tour de France but was never pain-free. A scan in September showed that the fracture had not healed and that he bones were still 1.5cm apart.

He had surgery to repair that, and since then, “The whole right side is weaker,” Nuyens told Het Nieuwsblad. “They had told me that it would take one year, but I thought it would be quicker. "

His 2013 season has begun with rocky start. After finishing twice in the Mallorca Challenge, he had to abandon during the second stage of the Ruta del Sol, but finished the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Last Saturday Nuyens took on the Strade Bianchi, “It has been a long time since I was so bad on my bike.” He hoped for improvement in Tirreno-Adriatico, but had to drop back from the team time trial after only seven kilometers. 

“My condition is good, but I cannot transfer it to my legs. I can't bring the power. Below my waist  everything is blocked. That's big misery."

His career highlight was winning the Tour of Flanders in 2011. "After that, I have not raced much. First there was the broken wrist and when that had recovered, I broke my hip. It's been more than a year of misery.”