Having been unable to race since March due to a problem with his Achilles tendon, Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen has now been given the green light by specialists to result racing next week.
The hugely talented 23 year old will line out in the Bayern-Rundfahrt and, providing that goes well, will continue his preparations for what will be his Tour de France debut.
"We still believe that Edvald's participation in the Tour de France remains a very realistic goal, but obviously we will have to assess his progress as he returns to racing,” said team doctor David Hulse.
Hulse has been working with him ever since the problem flared it. The Milan-Sanremo Classic was where the first twinges were felt, and then the problem increased until such point as he had to stop racing. It was initially thought that he would only be out for a couple of weeks, but as time passed, it became clear that things were more complicated.
“After Gent-Wevelgem, Edvald stayed in Belgium to receive treatment from the team physiotherapists. In those early stages we were hopeful we could get him through the rest of the spring Classics, but unfortunately he was not able to complete that campaign and a decision was made to focus instead on future goals,” he explained.
"Edvald was also reviewed by both the medical and rehab specialists at Olympiatoppen - the Norwegian Olympic medical centre - and we have been very fortunate to have a good relationship with them.”
Happily, things have now started to progress more quickly and this has improved confidence that he will not only be able to return to racing, but also to compete in the Tour.
"Our physiotherapists have really done a good job and in the last week we have seen a significant improvement in his condition. He has been able to push on with his training to a level where it's now time for him to get back to racing,” Hulse said.
Despite his injury, he has already clocked up three wins this season. He took two stages in the Tour of Oman and would almost certainly have won overall had he not been caught out by a badly-timed toilet stop. He also nabbed a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico.
Boasson Hagen is widely regarded as one of the most gifted riders in the sport. Last year he won Gent Wevelgem plus the Tour of Britain, netting four stages in the latter. He also took the overall classification in the Benelux Tour.