Following a brilliant 2007 campaign with Barloworld, Colombian super climber, Mauricio Soler, has done a whole lot of nothing. The rider has been beset by bad luck on a near constant basis since his King of the Mountains winning ride in 2007, but there's hope that a new season, a clean bill of health. and a new sponsor of Eusebio Unzue's team could be just what the prodigal talent needs to return to the form of 2007.
Soler has been plagued by injury over the past three seasons, but as of the first of this month, the Colombian says he is back to 100%. The rider is currently at home in Colombia, but will head to Spain on the 18th of December for Team Movistar's first training camp from the 20th to the 23rd of December.
Speaking to Revista Mundo Ciclistico, Soler commented: "I'm fully recovered from the injuries that have plagued me. Thanks to careful medical and scientific monitoring along with the confidence Eusebio Unzue has given me, I hope to respond well. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to get even with the bad luck of the past two seasons where I lost many precious opportunities."
Soler's 2010 season began with a lot of promise and hope after his signing with the Caisse d'Epargne team. All looked to be going well early in the season following a brilliant second place ride on the very difficult mountaintop finish to the Alto de Morredero in the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon - behind Igor Anton and ahead of Alberto Contador and Ezequiel Mosquera.
The 27 year old's season never picked up from there though. Leading into the Tour de France, there were murmurs of a resurgent Soler, but that was all laid to waste with a crash at the Criterium Dauphine two days before the long time trial. Soler was not in a good way following his crash and eventually missed the time cut by a wide margin.
From there, the knee never got better, and Soler spent the rest of the season waiting for his left patella to heal, so that he could return to racing. It wasn't a quick process. With his knee finally back in working order, Soler isn't rushing into anything though. He's slowly preparing for the season that will hopefully confirm his 2007 brilliance.
"For the time being, I am devoted to strengthening my muscles. I've been doing long walks through the countryside near Ramiriqui. I schedule sessions in the gym every other day, and I mountain bike as well. Finding out that the injury to my knee has responded well fills me with security, confidence, and optimism to face the great challenge posed to me in 2011."
Soler and his team aren't getting too far ahead of themselves just yet. The Colombian only knows that he will be starting his season in Argentina in January. From there, he'll look to keep racing as much as possible, so he can begin to regain his long lost race fitness.
"My schedule is not fully defined, but what is certain is that I will start early with the Tour de San Luis in Argentina, as I need to recover the base, distance, pace, and the competition days lost due to injuries and problems faced over the last year."
If the Tour de France stage winner can finally get a little luck and stay healthy, Movistar could be in a very privileged position to reap the fruits of the talents of the tall climber.