Demol: Degenkolb has not been at his best since his accident
Trek-Segafredo director Dirk Demol says John Degenkolb has never been the same since the Sunweb training accident of early 2016, but insisted that talent doesn’t simply disappear and the German can rediscover his best level, maybe even for Paris-Roubaix in two weeks’ time.
Degenkolb could do little wrong in the spring of 2015, winning both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. However, his 2016 campaign was derailed by the car that drove into him and his Sunweb teammates while training in Spain in February. He suffered a serious finger injury that kept him out until May, and over the course of the subsequent 18 months he won just three races.
After a disappointing first season at Trek-Segafredo, where he was brought in as a replacement of sorts for Fabian Cancellara, he started 2018 with two wins in Mallorca, but has since struggled for results. He abandoned Paris-Nice and pulled out of last weekend’s Milan-San Remo with bronchitis – illness being a theme of the past years – and has started his cobbled classics campaign with 21st at E3 Harelbeke on Friday and 48th at Gent-Wevelgem – a race he’s won before – on Sunday.
“It’s all a consequence of his big accident, that horrible accident he got,” Demol told Cyclingnews in Deinze at the start of Gent-Wevelgem, “He lost many months, he had several surgeries. It looks like still he’s not back on his best, best level.
“But he’s working hard, fighting hard, and with his talent, I’m more than confident that he still will win big races in the future. He’s good, but since his accident he has never been on his super best level.”
Positioning is vital
At the team bus at the finish in Wevelgem, Trek-Segafredo’s press officer contradicted Demol and was eager to discourage any mention of the accident, citing it as “irrelevant”.
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