Milan Fretin, Belgian sprint talent racing the Giro with a partially torn shoulder capsule and damaged biceps

The fact that Fretin still finished fourth on March 8 after crashing in the Grand Prix Criquielion was already remarkable. But his top-five results in the GP Jean Pierre Monseré, Nokere Koerse and Scheldeprijs, along with a win in the Tour of Limburg, show just how unusual the situation is for Belgium’s sprint talent. After that crash, it turned out Fretin had sustained real damage. “My shoulder capsule is fifty percent torn and my biceps is also half torn,” he told HLN.

Fretin only found out later, since he oddly felt almost no pain while riding. Once the damage was confirmed, surgery was ruled out. “I thought they might just insert a screw or a small plate, but I actually need full surgery which would sideline me for two months.” With the Giro coming up, that wasn’t something he could accept. “I don’t feel anything on the bike, but when I move too quickly I sometimes get a sharp jolt of pain.”

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Just how bizarre is the situation? Fretin explains: “Last week I tried to swat a fly on the ceiling — not my best idea. But ask me to lift a hundred kilos in the gym and that’s fine. It’s the sudden movements that hurt, like reaching behind my back or lifting my arm high.” Which means celebrating a win in Italy could be tricky, though pushing out watts on the pedals is no problem at all.

So Cofidis, Fretin and Belgium can keep dreaming of a stage win in the sprints. “I’m ambitious. The team isn’t putting pressure on me, but I really want this. A few months ago I wouldn’t have dared to say it out loud, but after this spring I can: I want to win a stage. I count about six chances for a bunch sprint. It’s my first Grand Tour, and I really want to finish it. I just don’t know yet how my body will respond in the second and third week. I’ve never raced this long before.”