Belgian back on the boards a week earlier than expected
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Belgium's Lotte Kopecky (R) celebrates with teammate Jolien D'hoore after winning the Women's Madison on day four of the 2017 Track Cycling World Championships
Jolien D'Hoore on the la Madrid Challenge podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Britain's Elinor Barker, Emily Nelson, Belgium's Jolien D'hoore and Lotte Kopecky, Australia's Amy Cure and Alexandra Manly pose during the podium ceremony for the women's madison at the 2017 Track Cycling World Championships
Jolien D'Hoore wins La Madrid Challenge ahead of Coryn Rivera and Roxane Fournier(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jolien D'hoore getting in a bit of solo recon on the Bergen TTT course(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Itchy feet have got the better of Jolien D'hoore, and the Belgian has decided to get back into competition a week earlier than she had previously planned. D'hoore, will make her first appearance on the boards this season as she races for Belgium at next weekend's opening round of the UCI Track World Cup in Poland.
"Change of plans! I couldn't wait any longer...I will start my track season 1 week earlier. So see you in Poland next week! #showyourstripes," D'hoore wrote on Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
D'hoore, who missed last week's Track European Championships, enjoyed a successful track campaign last season with bronze in the Omnium at the Olympic Games and a European title in the Madison with teammate Lotte Kopecky. She crowned the season with a Madison world title with Kopecky in Hong Kong in April, her first rainbow jersey on the track or road.
The 27-year-old last raced at the Road World Championships in Bergen at the end of September. She went in as a dark horse but failed to finish the race. It was a disappointing end to what was a hugely successful year for D'hoore that saw her finish the year with more wins than any other with 12.
Among D'hoore's wins were six at WorldTour level, including victories at the Madrid Challenge, the Giro Rosa, Women's Tour, Chongming Island the Ladies Tour of Norway. The Madrid Challenge was D'hoore's last in Wiggle-High5 colours with the Belgian set to ride for Orica-Scott in 2018.
The 2017-2018 Track World Cup takes place over five rounds, beginning with Pruszków, Poland next weekend and finishing in January in Minsk, Belarus.
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