Cycling: After his serious crash at the Tour de France, Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) returns to the peloton at the Tour of Spain.
"The original plan was to start at the Eneco Tour next week," says Cancellara, "but that's too early. I still feel pain at high intensities, even though I've been able to do up to four-hour workouts for a week now. I'd like to race, but my body isn't quite ready yet.” The Tour of Spain, which begins on August 22, should be the time.
Riding in the yellow jersey, Cancellara broke two vertebrae in his lower back in a massive crash on the third stage of this year's Tour. He had already suffered almost the same fracture at E3 Harelbeke this year. Two months later he returned to racing at the Tour de Fjords in Norway, and this time only six and a half weeks will have passed since the fatal crash at the Tour with his start at the Tour of Spain.
"It's my seventh time at the Vuelta," Cancellara said. “I like the race: lots of kilometers, tough races, good roads and fans who appreciate our sport. Above all, I want to get back into racing mode and get involved with the team, starting with the team time trial in Marbella. I want to be in as good shape as possible at the World Championships. I will have to suffer for that in the first week in Spain, but I need race practice.”