Backspin: Bernie's back, Van der Poel shines, plus Vuelta-bound Viviani, Matthews-BinckBank and Vos

Hard to believe when one talks with Bernie Eisel, or watches him race, that he was literally undergoing brain surgery less than four months ago. The 37-year-old Austrian pro cycling veteran suffered a fractured wrist and a subdural haematoma following a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico crash six weeks earlier in March.

Eurosport caught up with the Dimension Data rider on the final day of the four-stage Arctic Race of Norway (UCI 2.HC) — his second race back since returning for six of the seven stages at Tour of Pologne a week earlier.

“A lot has happened in the last months,” last year’s Arctic Race KOM winner and recipient of 500kg of salmon from Laks told Eurosport. “Honestly happy to be back racing. Form is actually pretty good, but I still take it day by day.

“Never had ambitions to win 500 kilos [of salmon] again, still have enough in the fridge at home,” Eisel continued. “Came here just to train and enjoy the scenery again, so definitely fulfilled completely.”

According to Eisel, he is still under the watchful care of physicians as his road to recovery continues.

“Recovery is gong well at the moment,” said Eisel. “Still having check-ups and scans on my head, but I’m feeling good and training normal, racing normal, so that’s all looking good.”

Eisel is being so carefully monitored, he was scheduled to immediately have a scan the very next day following the conclusion of the Arctic Race.

“They just want to make sure the bleeding doesn’t start again,” he explained. “I don’t have any symptoms at the moment. Sometimes when a headache comes back, is it the same thing again?

“It was a big concussion and there is always follow up tests on a concussion. At the moment, the brain is looking good, I’m feeling good, so its all going the right direction.”

When asked if the injury has altered his riding style or desire to race, Eisel admitted that indeed it had.

“Yes, but it’s changing quickly,” he admitted. “I retired three times in the last five months and I was done with the sport. I couldn’t really concentrate on training or thinking about racing, but you still watch the guys racing and [Dimension Data teammate Mark Cavendish] suffering in the [Tour de France].

“I think, ‘hmmm, should have been there’; and so it always brings it back to what I love — which is racing and cycling — but not at all costs.

“If the doctor says another hit on the head could make it worse, then that’s it — I’m outta here,” he concluded. “I’ve enjoyed what I did the last 17 years as a pro and that’s enough, but at the same time if they clear me to race I’m happy to do another year.”

Recently crowned Dutch road race champion Mathieu van der Poel gives an entirely new meaning to the term ‘all-rounder’ when it comes to racing bicycles. The 23-year-old has proven himself equally adept at racing cyclo-cross, mountain bikes and now after a super sensational summer showing, even the road.

“It’s been a really good road season for me,” van der Poel told Eurosport prior to winning his second stage of the 2018 Arctic Race of Norway on Sunday. “I think the main key for the success is I didn’t race often on the road and then when you start a road race you are always quite motivated. That’s what I like about the combination with mountain biking as well.”

Since claiming both a stage and the overall race win at Boucles de la Mayenne (2.1) in June, van der Poel has added a total of six victories to his growing road palmarés.

“I think it’s amazing to ride here with the whole team like this and it’s good for team spirit as well,” explained van der Poel. “And it’s nice to finish the season with a win. It’s my last road race this summer, so I’m very happy about it.”

When asked about whether or not he likes being constantly referred to as a cyclo-cross specialist despite is prowess on the road, the 2015 cyclo-cross world champion and three-time Dutch champ claims he wears it like a badge of honour.

“It’s mostly an honour to be called a cyclo-cross rider,” he said. “If you see the many victories they’ve booked, but also like some other guys like Adam yesterday I think we’ve done a really good job on the road as well.”

Van der Poel was referring to Corendon-Circus teammate and fellow cyclo-cross racer Adam Toupalik (CZE), who won the penultimate stage at Arctic Race with van der Poel in tow. When asked what’s next for van der Poel on the road considering he recently signed a five-year contract with the Belgium-registered UCI Continental team, he was still a bit uncertain.

“Difficult to say,” van der Poel explained. “Next year I’m going to do some Classics and then I can talk more about it. It’s difficult for me to say now because I’ve never done any.”

Italian national champion Elia Viviani (Quick-Step) captured his 15th victory in 2018 after winning the EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg (1.UWT) for the second year in a row.

The 29-year-old sprinter, who kicked off this year’s run with a stage win at the Tour Down Under in January, bested Frenchman Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) and Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) in a bunch sprint finish after Viviani took advantage of Démares early launch.

Viviani took advantage of Démare’s early launch, jumping on to the wheel of the Frenchman on the slight left curve of the finishing 100 metres to take his first win in the Italian jersey.

“I was second in the Cadel Evans Race, Gent-Wevelgem and RideLondon, so to finally win a WorldTour one-day race this year feels incredible,” said Viviani. “It’s also my first victory in the beautiful maglia tricolour, which is something special that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Viviani will now head to the Vuelta a España, which is just six days away, where he hopes to continue the same form that propelled him to four stage wins at the Giro d’Italia in May.

There has not been a lot to cheer about for fans of Australian Michael Matthews as of late. After winning two stages and his first points classification at the Tour de France last year, all eyes were on the 27-year-old Sunweb sprinter’s showdown with reigning three-time world champion Peter Sagan at this year’s edition.

However an illness forced Matthews to withdraw prior to the start of Stage 5 while Sagan, who was ejected last year after allegedly causing Mark Cavendish’s crash on Stage 4, rode unchallenged into his record-tying sixth green jersey.

On Sunday, the eight-time Grand Tour stage winner and 2015 UCI Road Worlds silver medallist picked up his second win of the season with an emphatic victory on the seventh and final stage of the BinckBank Tour (2.UWT) to move him into second on final general classification behind winner Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) of Slovenia.

“This win is incredible,” said Matthews. “We came here with a GC goal and it was a real big team effort to secure second. Today was a big goal for me personally. We wanted to finish off the race on a high note.

“Søren [Kragh Andersen] did a great job in the final and sacrificed his chances so we could take the win,” he continued. “We tried everything to crack the leader, but he played it really smart so we have to be happy with second.

“I’m so happy with this win, it’s the big victory I’ve been looking for.”

This year’s Ladies Tour of Norway (2.WWT) offered no challengers — or solutions — to Marianne Vos. Arguably the greatest women’s cyclist of all time, the 31-year-old Dutchwoman racing for WaowDeals Pro Cycling swept all three stages en route to her second straight general classification and points win at the UCI Women’s WorldTour event.

“I was never really worried for the GC, but I had to work really hard at the end,” said Vos, referring to American Coryn Rivera (Sunweb) and Swede Emilia Fahlin (Wiggle High 5) finishing second and third on the final 154km stage and reversed on final GC.