According to Liane Lippert, she won't be jogging for the time being. However, she can now say this with a smile, as things have recently taken a clear turn for the better. A few weeks ago, things looked very different. In November, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her femoral neck bone, a so-called fatigue fracture. In retrospect, it is difficult to filter out where this came from, as various factors can cause such a fracture. Lippert says that she fell on her hip several times towards the end of the season, which had probably already damaged the bone. "I didn't cycle for a long time during the season break and went jogging a lot, more than usual. There is probably a connection, because jogging is not so healthy for professional cyclists," she says.
Lippert is in the Sierra Nevada as she reports on all this. An extra altitude training camp. "Otherwise it will be difficult to make up for everything," she says, looking ahead to the season. The Ardennes Classics, her favourite races, are still too early this week. "That's a huge shame," says Lippert, "but when I'm on the start line, I want to fight for the podium." Last year, she finished second at the Fleche Wallonne. However, she now prefers to use the time for training. Her comeback is planned for the Vuelta a Espana at the end of April.
Because what nobody realised at the beginning: the fatigue fracture has cost Lippert his entire season so far. "I'd never had an injury before, and I realised that because I was far too confident, but so was the people around me," says Lippert. Among other things, she was reassured by doctors at the beginning: "Don't worry, a fracture like that heals quickly in athletes. "A short break" and "back on the bike quickly" were the forecasts for her return in December. The crux of the matter for Lippert: She needed crutches in everyday life, but was pain-free on the bike. So she trained as normal for the new season. In retrospect, a mistake.
In the meantime, Liane Lippert's entire season was in jeopardy
The whole mess then became apparent during the training camp with her team Movistar in January. A new MRI was carried out there. "The result was bad, much worse than the first MRI. My team doctor told me: if I don't stop now, then the whole season is over," says Lippert. A lot of fluid had collected in the oedema around the fracture. Further exertion was taboo and it was uncertain when he would be able to return to training.
"At the beginning I thought I'd be off for a fortnight, that wouldn't affect my season. Then the Mallorca Challenge was cancelled, then the Tour of Valencia, then the Strade Bianche - it went on and on," says Lippert and adds: "At times I didn't know whether I would be able to ride at all this year. What if it's no longer normal? At some point I was just happy that it was starting to get better."
In the previous season, Lippert had the best year of her career to date and developed from a top rider into a winner. Her switch from Team DSM, where she rode for six years, to Movistar turned out to be absolutely right. "I'm not so much better in terms of training and stats, it's more the riding style, the team and the environment. I just feel better in my head at Movistar. I was able to win races myself, the team trusts me and also plans with me in the long term," she says.
Liane Lippert used the forced break to learn Spanish
The highlight was winning a stage at the Tour de France in the summer, and she also won her last race to date, Tre Valli Varesine, in October 2023. Her own expectations and motivation to build on this in the new season were correspondingly high. Instead, Lippert has been slowed down as much as possible; so far, she has only been allowed to watch. "Despite the fracture and the break, I was in a really good mood in January and had really good results in the tests. That's frustrating. But the good thing is that the knot has already burst and the team knows that I can do it."
It is the first long forced break in her career, the first time she was not allowed to do what is otherwise a matter of course: cycling. It wasn't easy at times, says Lippert, but at some point she accepted the situation. She mainly found distraction at home. "For example, I did a big painting by numbers," says Lippert and laughs. She also learnt a lot of Spanish. Her new language level surprised everyone in the team. "I now had time for things like that and could switch off from cycling. I didn't follow the races at the beginning either," says Lippert.
The third MRI was scheduled for the end of February. This time with good news for Lippert: The fracture had healed and the oedema was barely visible. She was allowed to train again, but not yet at full speed. This was because her leg still felt "strange" at first and she still lacked balance on the bike, according to Lippert. And with her previous history, she didn't want to rush things this time anyway. However, she has been training for the season since mid-March. "A month ago, I rode a sprint again for the first time without pain - that was one of the best moments in training. Riding the first intervals was great," says Lippert.
Successor to Annemiek van Vleuten? Liane Lippert is bothered by this
Meanwhile, she is unable to assess where she stands in terms of performance. After all, she has missed most of the pre-season preparation. After the Vuelta, there are more races in Spain and another altitude training camp. Lippert hopes that by the summer she will be in top form again for the season highlights with the Tour de France and the Olympics.
Following the retirement of Annemiek van Vleuten, Lippert is formally regarded as captain at Movistar. However, she does not see herself as the Dutchwoman's direct successor. In fact, Lippert is even bothered by the fact that she is often publicly compared to van Vleuten, especially in Spain. After all, this fosters false expectations. Because both are different types of riders: Van Vleuten was recently the best and most successful tour rider in women's cycling, Lippert is more of an explosive athlete with strengths in the classics - and potential for improvement in the high mountains. "I'm the new leader, but not the successor in the sense that I'm supposed to achieve the same results. That's not the case at all. I don't really like being compared to her," says Lippert.
In the future, however, she can imagine maturing into a classics rider. "The team believes that I have it in me," says Lippert. The plan for this season was to try out the first steps in this direction. But that is now on the back burner for the time being. "I can imagine it in the long term, as long as I don't lose my punch - that's important to me. I want to win another Ardennes classic."
As much as the forced break has set Lippert back, two positive things can still be deduced. Firstly, she has worked on her riding position during the time out and, according to her own statement, is now more effective on the bike and more sensitive to any changes. Secondly, the Ardennes will be back again this year: after starting in the Netherlands, the Tour de France will finish in Liège on stage 3, for example. "That's ideal for me," says Lippert. And she also has high hopes for the Olympics on the classics course. So her season can still take a positive turn.
