Adrie van der Poel was supposed to receive and show the VIPs from Alpecin-Deceuninck during the Flèche Wallonne, but he was forced to stay at home on Wednesday.
He suffers from severe back problems. He is strongly discouraged from driving. “This is innate,” says the father of the world champion The newspapaer. “I’ve been suffering from this all my life. Once every few years this is a major problem.”
Bursting headache
“I try to take as little medication as possible, so I have to get through this. I had a splitting headache for two days because of my back problems. After my career I wanted to have surgery, but the doctor said: ‘No need. If you can live with it for forty years, you can easily add another forty years.’ So I just listened to that.”
Fortunately, Adrie will be there again on Sunday during Liège-Bastogne-Liège to encourage his son. “My back is improving. I know from experience that this pain never lasts long.”
