Dutch MILRAM rider needs surgery after crash in GP Denain sprint finale

Dortmund, 16. April 2010. Team MILRAM continues to be plagued by injuries: the complicated fracture in sprinter Wim Stroetinga’s right hand was confirmed today at a hospital in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The 24-year-old was one of four MILRAM riders involved in a crash in yesterday’s sprint finale at the GP Denain. Stroetinga will have surgery next Wednesday and will be out of racing for several weeks.

„I got off to an unlucky start this season anyway,“ the MILRAM sprinter complained. „I was continually set back by illness and now I have this injury. That is all very bitter but in sport, it can happen. The crash couldn’t be predicted. We have a good sprint train built up and were in an optimal position for the closing sprint. All of a sudden there was a sideways jerk through the field and it caught us.“

The GP Denain was doubly irritating for Team MILRAM: After a strong performance over the whole race and an even better sprint set-up, not only did the team miss the possible win, but with Stroetinga, after captain Gerald Ciolek and Fabian Wegmann, the team had the next extended injury-related loss for this season.