Battered, bruised but unbroken after his crash on yesterday’s stage of the Volta a Catalunya, Movistar team leader Alejandro Valverde is expected to return to competition in eight day’s time.
The Spaniard crashed out while leading the Catalan race, hitting the deck on a descent approximately 100 kilometres from the end of the fourth stage. Team-mate Eros Capecchi also went out in the same accident.
Valverde’s team have confirmed to VeloNation that he is likely to return to competition in the GP Miguel Indurain on Saturday, March 30th.
Team doctor Jesús Hoyos has explained the consequences of the crash. “They each don't have any serious injuries, but the blow was hard and Alejandro was feeling a bit dizzy,” he said. “He has several bruises, especially on his left side, in the hip and the knee. And a hard hit in his elbow.”
Capecchi was taken after his withdrawal to a medical center in La Seu d'Urgell, where he underwent examination and fractures were ruled out.
Valverde also had to pull out of the race last year and rues his misfortune. “It seems like I'm not a lucky man when it comes to my Volta appearances. It's true that I was lucky enough to win it in 2009, but last year I also had to retire, and I really thought about it afterwards,” he said.
“I'm furious because I was feeling strong and had chances to win, but the important thing is that we have no injuries, plus our main goals are still really far away. Everything was going on track, but this is cycling. I'm sad about myself, but above all, about my team-mates, because they were sensational during all these days, and even though things had got a bit more complicated in the first kilometres [with eventual stage winner and new race leader Dan Martin getting clear in a break – ed.], they were doing an excellent piece of work.”
Valverde explained after the stage that his left side was covered in cuts and bruises, and that his hip hurt a lot. He confirmed he also felt dizzy after the fall. “We knew that it was a tricky descent, but we were at the front, pushing,” he said. “Capecchi crashed and I couldn't avoid hitting him. It was a pretty hard impact, even more for him, because I almost fell over him.”
Fortunately the team is still in a position to challenge for the overall classification, with stage three winner Nairo Quintana riding well again yesterday and finishing third, 36 seconds behind the stage winner Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp).
He is now third overall at 32 seconds and will aim to chase Martin’s race lead in the remaining stages.