Yesterday Team Argos-Shimano’s Dutch rider Tom Veelers had surgery performed on his stomach at the Medisch Spectrum Twente in Enschede. The surgery went well, and will now take a period of rest and recovery.

“In recent years I’ve often had stabbing pains in my stomach area during races,” said Veelers, “and I’ve had difficulty refuelling and recovering after a hard effort. I had some tests performed in January, which revealed that the artery leading to my stomach and small intestine was being pinched by a ligament. The surgery should have corrected this problem, and I hope to be able to return to the bike pain-free after I recover from the operation. We’ll see how my recovery progresses and I’ll discuss with the sports managers my program leading up to the Tour de France, which I am hoping to participate in.”