Compton hampered by muscle problems

By Brecht Decaluwé in Kalmthout

American rider Katie Compton was one of the pre-race favourites in the Kalmthout World Cup in Belgium, but ambitions to turn last year's second place into victory went sour when Compton was confronted with the same leg muscle problems which plagued the latter part of last season.

Compton's husband Mark Legg explained to Cyclingnews, "Katie is having trouble with her legs again despite being in very good form the week before the race. We are both very upset with the recent change in Katie's legs. If history is correct and Katie is able to travel well - which appears to be the major contributing factor - then she will be looking to race well in Pijnacker, The Netherlands.

The pair will head back to Colorado for two weeks before returning to Europe where Compton will defend her win in the Pijnacker World Cup. "The difficult part for us is the long travel and big time change which seems to play havoc with Katie's muscles. Unfortunately, the issue remains undiagnosed and seems to constantly change without warning, so we try to out-guess the muscle disorder. But at this level the smallest change can result in cramping-like symptoms or otherwise be fine," Legg said. "For now, we're hoping for a strong return and we are looking to make some changes to the racing program so we can give Hanka and Daphny some competition out there," Legg said