Shirin van Anrooij sidelined for six months while recovering from iliac artery endofibrosis surgery

Shirin Van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)
Shirin Van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) (Image credit: Getty Images)

Shirin van Anrooij will not compete in the cyclocross or early road racing seasons while she recovers from successful surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis undergone on October 31. Her team Lidl-Trek confirmed in a medical update that the Dutch multi-discipline rider would return to competition in May.

“After some hard months on and off the bike, we finally got to the bottom of what was causing me problems in my left leg. I have had successful surgery to repair a narrowing of my external iliac artery. It was definitely a scary discovery at first, but everything went well and I am happy that I can now start my recovery," Van Anrooij said.

Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.