Dorian De Maeght (25) finished his first season as a professional rider in 2022 with a mixed feeling. Unlucky at the beginning of the year, he suffered the consequences of a big crash at the Tour of Oman. The rider from Brussels wants to make a step forward in 2023. He keeps his fingers crossed that luck is with him.
Dorian De Maeght. “I finished last season with a half-hearted feeling, with only 33 race days. I had a very good winter and good training camp with the team. I crashed at the beginning of the season, in a downhill section of the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman. From that moment on, nothing really worked for me. We tried everything with the team, doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths. Nothing really helped, I could not finish a single race correctly. I decide to have an MRI scan after the national championship because my back was still hurting. The exams revealed a fracture and a tear in my lumbar region. I had been suffering from this problem for the whole of the first half of the season. I went through long weeks without training. I was still able to ride a few races at the end of the calendar, including the GP Van Steenbergen where I finished 18th. My back problems are healed tooday but I still suffer from the consequences of the tear that caused a hernia, which still requires regular work with a physio. My goal for 2023 is to return to my 2021 level. I am now able to train properly, my winter preparation has been good so far and my track sessions with our coach Jon Wiggins have helped me a lot. I can start the upcoming season with confidence. I want to take revenge on 2022, to start all over again within the peloton, to do a « second first » year so to speak. My first objective will be the spring classics in Belgium. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that luck will be on my side in 2023.”
” I want to take revenge on 2022, to start all over again within the peloton, to do a « second first » year so to speak. My first objective will be the spring classics in Belgium. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that luck will be on my side in 2023.”
