Kevin Strijbos Injured In Belgium
Cycle News Staff | January 8, 2014
Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Kevin Strijbos suffered a broken pelvis today in a practice crash at Lommel in Belgium. Strijbos is expected to be out of action for four weeks.
Strijbos, a two-time runner-up in the MX1 World Championship, clipped a fallen rider’s motorcycle in a sand section at the former Grand Prix venue. He was taken to the hospital after complaining of pain.
The Belgian was then examined by renowned sport surgeon Dr. Claes at the Herentals Hospital and scans revealed a small portion of his pelvis had broken away. Strijbos will now have to stop his training for the 2014 FIM MXGP World Championship for a month to allow the injury to heal. He should be back in action prior to the opening round of the series on March 1 in Qatar.
“Obviously I’m pretty gutted about this,” Strijbos said in a team release. “When I got to the face of the jump I saw someone waving, but it was already too late to react and I landed with my front wheel just in front of the seat of the fallen bike. It’s a setback, and a shame, as my preparations were going really well. We had a super-good training week with the team in Portugal and everything was heading in the right direction. Sadly it is one of those things that is a part of our sport.”
