Max Poole: I’m coming back with a point to prove

Words by Daniel Benson

The last few months have been a real test of patience and perseverance for Max Poole but the 21-year-old is on the comeback trail with a long-awaited return to racing scheduled at the Vuelta a Burgos. If all goes well the British climber will line up for the Vuelta a España later that month and the rider is eager to make up for lost time after an injury-affected period.

Back in March, the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rider headed into stage six of Tirreno-Adriatico sitting just outside the top ten on GC and was polishing his form ahead of an expected debut at the Giro d’Italia. He was on track for a successful spring but in the blink of an eye, Poole’s early season aspirations came crashing down when the rider hit the deck. He was left with half of his body covered in cuts and road rash and a broken left elbow that would require two surgeries. The Giro dream was sadly over.

“It was a nasty crash and it was clear at that point that I wasn’t going to make the Giro. It was a nothing moment. I was cruising down this false flat, hit a bump, and lost the bike. I hit some railings and as I lay on the ground the first thing I saw was my arm flopping around. It was a strange moment at first. It meant that the focus from that point was all about my recovery and getting the arm and elbow back to where they needed to be. There was no sense in rushing back to fitness because I wanted to make sure that I still had my arm when I was 50,” Poole tells us from his comeback altitude camp in Austria.

The rest of March and April were tough for the rider from the north of England. He had his first surgery in the Netherlands and was well-supported by the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL medical staff but a second surgery was required when Poole returned to the UK as part of his ongoing recovery. The first surgery was made easier by the fact that Team dsm-firmenich PostNL’s Camiel Aldershof accompanied him to the Netherlands for the first surgery, which was performed at the same hospital where Aldershof worked. Support from the team was imperative in helping Poole through those tough moments.

That phase of the year was hard on the young rider, mentally and physically but he had support from those around him when it mattered most. Being back in the UK also meant that he could have weekly medical appointments with a specialist, while the team were always on hand to offer help, assistance and guidance.

“The first month was pretty tough. The recovery wasn’t going anywhere, and the pain levels were increasing. I was in a bit of a hole for a bit but it started to improve slowly and then we came to the conclusion that we needed to do the surgery again and have the screws removed. It was a long process but the team were good and they gave me the time to get it right so that I could come back in the best way,” adds Poole.

Getting back on the bike, albeit in phases and at the right intensity, was a major steppingstone in Poole’s recovery. He trained indoors after an initial break that lasted a month and then took another week off the saddle after his second operation in May. Since then, he’s been able to train consistently and regain much of his fitness and confidence. Now two weeks into his altitude camp alongside several teammates, Poole is gearing up for his comeback race at the Vuelta a Burgos.

“I’ve been riding for close to two full months and the training has really been on a good level for five or six weeks and it’s coming along nicely. It’s hard to know where I am exactly after such a long time so I’m pretty anxious to see where I am at Burgos,” he says.

“Hopefully, the freshness works in my favour, especially mentally. I think that being at home in the UK made it a lot easier but in my head, I feel like I have a point to prove so I’ll try and show that in my racing and see how that goes.”

Poole made his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España last year and along with winning a thrilling opening team time trial, spent three days in the breaks, netting a valiant fourth on the stage to La Cruz de Linares. This time around he’ll aim to build on that experience but as with his recovery over the last few months he’ll be taking it one step at a time and the team will be with him throughout that journey.

“It’s almost like the start of the season again and it’s exciting to get the first race in. Then it’s time for the Vuelta and hopefully, I can keep improving before then with Burgos first. I’ll keep training for the last week here at camp and then I’ll try and have a decent end to the season.”