Valerio Piva, sports director at BMC, is convinced that Loïc Vliegen will return to the peloton. The young rider (21) is suffering from a congenital heart defect and he will undergo surgery today. "The news came as a complete surprise, but normally he should recover fully," says Piva.
It was Vliegens sports doctor, Michel Cerfontaine, who discovered the heart disease. "It is a congenital heart defect, hard to explain and apparently difficult to detect. Loïc has also undergone medical examinations to his heart during his time as a youth rider, like many other riders, but they never found anything wrong," Piva told Sporza.
"Ultimately, it now came to light, but it could just as well have been hidden for months or years can be hidden. The doctors have assured us that he can be completely like his old self again."
"In July, Loïc made the move to the pros," said Piva. "He's a tremendous talent and was always strong in the youth categories, but he has felt tired for the past few weeks and months. He barely recuperated and even had stomach pain. He was not his usual self. All kinds of examinations followed and it took a long time to find the cause."
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Konstantin VOLIK 40 years | today |
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