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Inspirational Giro d’Italia stage winner – Victor Campenaerts – withdraws due to injury

By APO Group
26 May 2021   |   12:00 pm
Victor Campenaerts, the winner of stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia, has been forced to withdraw from the race due to a leg injury. The Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) rider experienced pain in his right knee during the cold and wet conditions on stage 16 but managed to finish in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Following extensive treatment…

Victor Campenaerts, the winner of stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia, has been forced to withdraw from the race due to a leg injury. The Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) rider experienced pain in his right knee during the cold and wet conditions on stage 16 but managed to finish in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Following extensive treatment to a tendon problem on Monday evening and then subsequently on Tuesday’s rest day, it was decided by the team’s medical staff that he should withdraw to reduce risk of further aggravating the injury.

Campenaerts leaves the race having put in consistently impressive performances for the team culminating with his victory in Gorizia, Team Qhubeka ASSOS’ third win of the 104th Giro d’Italia.

Victor Campenaerts

I’m really disappointed to be leaving the Giro d’Italia, particularly after winning my first ever stage – it was an incredible moment for myself and the team.

The pain first surfaced in the cold conditions on Monday and unfortunately hasn’t responded well to treatment. Having to stop is absolutely not what I want to be doing but ultimately it is the right decision.

At last year’s race I finished in a very strong fashion, twice placing second in the last three days of the Giro and I continued to feel this year that I was growing stronger and stronger.

It was very emotional saying goodbye to the team; we have had the most unbelievable Giro d’Italia winning three stages, so far. There is the most incredible team spirit in the group, celebrating our successes as a rider and staff group together but ultimately knowing that what we are doing is for a greater purpose in continuing to show the world that bicycles change lives.

I’ll be watching and cheering like a crazy fan now and know that the belief in this team means that anything could happen.

Ubuntu – I am because we are.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.

Media Contact:
Jean Smyth (Head of Communications)
Email: jean@ryder.co.za
Mobile: +27 63 4701 1710 or +31 625 739 033

About Team Qhubeka ASSOS:
Team Qhubeka ASSOS is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world's biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka ASSOS (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.

We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.

We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team's inception.

We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.

About Qhubeka:
Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.

A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 

All images attached to the press release can be used with the respective image credit in combination to this release.

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