In his first Grand Tour with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, unfortunately Julius van den Berg had to step off the bike during today’s stage 16 at the Giro d’Italia. Showing symptoms of illness on the weekend, Van den Berg battled against the time limit through the queen stage, finishing as the last rider on course and made into the rest day. Despite some rest yesterday, the effects of his illness have unfortunately taken their toll and he had to step off the bike.
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL physician Laurens Kappelle expressed: “Julius started to develop signs of a cold over the weekend, and he dug deep to finish on Sunday. We did further checks throughout the past days and he was medically safe to start the stage but we continued to closely monitor him throughout the day. Unfortunately it became too much and Julius had to step off the bike. He will now take the needed time to rest and recover at home.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Matt Winston added: “Julius is of course really disappointed to leave the race, especially after how hard he battled on Sunday to get into the rest day. He has been riding consistently throughout the race and has always given his all to support our goals. It will be a shame to lose the good atmosphere he brings off the bike as well. Everyone here wishes him a quick recovery, and the rest of the guys will keep fighting as we continue towards Rome.”
