Daan Hoole to miss ‘Mini-Roubaix’ after broken finger but remains hopeful for the real thing

Speaking on the NOS cycling podcast with Tom Dumoulin and Andries Lamain, Hoole provided an update on his condition. The crash occurred during the chaotic fourth stage of Paris-Nice, and the 27-year-old is still recovering. “Considering the circumstances, it’s going well. I managed to train for four hours today. Apart from the broken finger, the wounds aren’t too bad. So it’s going reasonably well.”

The timing could hardly have been worse, as Hoole had been impressing in the early part of the season. “Things were actually going really well. My start to the season in the UAE was good, and Kuurne was also strong. We had a good team and were able to race freely because we didn’t have a clear leader. I tried something on day two, and the team time trial also went well with a nice third place.”

After his attack in stage two and a strong showing in the team time trial, Hoole was again well positioned in stage four. But the weather turned against him. “It was just very slippery. I think I was already braking because there was a gentle corner coming up. The rider in front of me slid out, and at the same moment I went down as well. I was taken away by ambulance. At that point, there were several more riders crashing at the same spot in other groups.”

Hoole does not remember exactly how the crash unfolded. “It’s strange, because I fell on my left side. I think my finger got stuck between the handlebars and the asphalt, or someone rode over it. It’s just unlucky—otherwise I would have come away without any injury.”

However, the damage turned out to be significant. “I was in a lot of pain. I was a bit in shock. There are a lot of nerves in your finger, and my nail is completely gone, and the tip of my finger was scraped off.” His finger is currently bandaged, although movement is gradually returning.

The key question now is what the crash means for Hoole’s spring campaign. He showed a high level on the cobbled climbs at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but will he be able to start the biggest races? “That’s still uncertain at the moment. When I train now with the finger, I can’t properly grip the handlebars or really push hard. Let’s hope I recover quickly.”

GP Denain, scheduled for Thursday, comes too soon. The Dutch rider was set to have a free role in what is often referred to as the ‘Mini-Roubaix’, but he will have to skip the race. However, Hoole remains optimistic about his main goal: Paris-Roubaix. On the 25th, he is set to recon the course with his team. “Then we’ll see how it feels.”