Muilwijk is recovering well after a fall during British IMBA.
It should now be clear to everyone that the motocross season for Lianne Muilwijk ended abruptly. The much more important question now is: How is the young lady from Heukelum doing? Before answering that question, let us first go back to the recent past.
Muilwijk started the new 2019 motocross season in good spirits. Her goals for this year were the Women's World Cup and the IMBA Women's. To complete the season, she would compete in the MON women's class where possible. At the first IMBA women's competition in Wohlen, Switzerland, she won the day with a first and second place twice in the heats. During the third match of the Women's World Cup in Teutschenthal, Germany, she started in this class for the first time this season. Here she managed to achieve 3 World Championship points in the first heat. After winning the MON competitions in Wanssum and Amersfoort, she achieved 3 World Cup points in Ottobiano, Italy. She then also won the day at the MON competitions in Geldermalsen and Horst.
So far it has been an enjoyable season for Muilwijk and she had a good time during the competitions. As leader in the IMBA ladies standings, she traveled to England to defend her leading position. After a third and second place in the heats, she had lost the leading position in the European Championship standings to the Belgian Brenda Wagemans. After a bad start in the third heat, she started a catch-up race. However, disaster struck in the third round. While driving up a bump, her motorcycle got stuck behind a pole, causing Muilwijk to be launched and fall hard. The match was flagged off two laps later and she was transported by air ambulance to a hospital in Liverpool. It turned out that the injuries sustained were serious. Muilwijk had broken her pelvis in three places, a broken collarbone and no feeling in her right leg. A 6-hour operation followed on Monday. Muilwijk was in a lot of pain and as if it wasn't enough, she also became ill and nauseous from the morphine and medicines she was given. Despite everything, she remained positive and confident to fight back, but the question was whether there would be a future on the dirt bike. Slowly but surely she got better and the feeling in her right leg returned. After 10 days she was finally transferred to the AMC in Amsterdam for further recovery.
The next stop was the De Hoogstraat rehabilitation center in Utrecht, where she was allowed to go 2 weeks later. Supported by all the messages of support from family, friends and acquaintances, she worked hard on her recovery and the recovery went much better than expected. After 3 weeks she was allowed to go home. She has now attended the IMBA women's competition in Belgium as a spectator.
Is there still a future on motorcycles? Let's hope so and that she wants that too. Even though Muilwijk has remained positive throughout everything that happened, there is still a long way to go before she fully recovers. The most important thing is that she will be mobile again in normal life. If she returns to the track, it will not be until next season at the earliest.
During the last IMBA competition of the ladies in Kleinhau, Germany, she will probably be present as a spectator to support the ladies. She wishes all ladies good luck during this and other competitions.
Lianne and her family would like to thank everyone for the many expressions of support they received during her recovery.
MXmag wishes Lianne and her family a lot of strength in her further recovery!
By: Maycel de Bruijn
Photo: mdbmxpics
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