Knee complaints still hamper Lehnert van Eetvelt: No comeback at the Tour of Switzerland

Lennert Van Eetvelt will not return to racing at this time. The Tour of Switzerland (June 9-16) has previously been mentioned as a date for his return, but this race is still too early for the Lotto Destiny talent. He has not played since Strade Bianche due to knee problems.

“Lehnert is performing better, but his originally scheduled return in the Swiss Tour comes too early,” says Kurt van de Voer, Sporting Director at Lotto Destiny, in a conversation with. The newspaper. “The knee problem must be completely resolved before we allow him to return to competition. We are now likely to target, for example, the Tour of Sibiu (July 6-9, ed.) where he won last year's stage.

Van Eetvelt has started 2024 well, winning in Mallorca in January, leading the way at the UAE Tour in February and finishing 11th in the Strade Bianche at the start of March. However, his knee started to bother him, meaning he had to cancel the Tour of Catalunya. Then, it also turns out that the Ardennes classics came too soon. He had to cancel the Brabantse Beagle, Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège races. After surgery, the tour of Hungary was also removed from his programme. Now follow the tour of Switzerland.

Florian Vermeersch in altitude training
Van de Weer also provided an update on Florian Vermeersch, who fractured his left femur in February. “His recovery is going so smoothly, that he is currently at an altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada. A return in August, as planned, is certainly possible and if the recovery goes well, it may also be possible to return a few weeks earlier.