After crashing at the X2O Badkamers and injuring her finger, Sainte-Adèle, Que., Maghalie Rochette was forced to skip the UCI CX World Cup in Namur, Belgium, and head home.
Rainbow jersey Fem van Empel claimed her sixth ‘cross win of the season in a crash-filled race. After nearly a month-long break, the series resumed with its fourth round, where the world champion outperformed her Dutch rivals. Canada’s Katja Verkerk finished 33rd.
Not the outcome Rochette hoped for
After the race, Rochette shared on Instagram that she had injured her fingers and would have to miss upcoming races. The Sainte-Adèle, Que., rider expressed her disappointment, writing: “Not the trip I hoped for or prepared for, but it is the trip we got! Cancelled race in Sardinia and messed-up fingers in Herentals, so no more races for me this trip. 3 weeks was a long time for one race.” Rochette and her partner, David Gagnon, had flown to Italy last week for the World Cup, which was cancelled due to high winds—a costly trip for all the athletes who travelled but couldn’t compete.
After the race, she wasn’t sure if the finger was broken, but she said it didn’t feel safe to race Namur with a hand not working 100 per cent.
Will return to Europe after regroup and recovery
“We’ll be back eventually, but for now, I don’t know when,” she said. “To say I’m sad and disappointed is an understatement. This trip completely took the wind out of my sails. At least the weekend in Dublin was cool and I’m really holding on to that for now.”
Rochette started her season strong with solid performances in the U.S. and a second-place finish behind Isabelle Holmgren at the ‘cross nationals. She was finding her rhythm in Europe at the first World Cup in Dublin, finishing 15th. Her main goal remains the world championships in Liévin, France, at the end of January.
X-rays and tests
Gagnon said that upon returning home, they went to get X-rays for her finger. The good news, he said, is that there were no broken bones, just swelling. So she should be back training very quickly. As far as racing, they need to hold off for now.
“At this point, she still can’t hold the bar firmly, so we’ll wait for it to heal properly and then make plans for the rest of the season,” he added. “We are most likely headed to the last two World Cups and World Champs with training until then, but plans might change.”
Her main goal is still the world championships in Liévin, France, at…
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