Caisse d'Epargne manager, Eusebio Unzue, confirmed to El Tiempo yesterday that former Tour de France King of the Mountains, Mauricio Soler, is improving each day following an injury to his left patella at the Criterium du Dauphine.
The injury, sustained two days before the crucial time trial, saw Soler miss a substantial amount of time in the test against the clock - enough to be time cut by a healthy margin.
His exit from the Dauphine did not bode well for his Tour de France ambitions. The Dauphine was to provide crucial preparation for the Colombian climber, but his departure and the fall-out from his knee injury cast doubt upon his chances to start in Rotterdam on July 3rd. Team management made it clear that for Soler to start the Tour, he would need to race at least the Route du Sud as preparation. If he couldn't race the Route du Sud, the Tour would be a no go - a familiar theme for the powerful Colombian over the last two seasons.
After winning the polka dot jersey in 2007, Soler's fortunes rapidly declined. He dropped out of the race early in 2008, then didn't even get the chance to start in 2009 when his Barloworld team missed the all-important invitation. This year, things look to be going closer to plan. The injured knee looks to be healing rapidly and a start in the Route du Sud looks probable.
"We have been told that he is well," says Unzue. "Today, he trained for five hours, and we must wait and see how it affected him. I've talked with the team doctor, and he believes that Soler will be ready for the Route du Sud on Friday, and then the Tour."