Thor Hushovd won't be the only rider that won't get a chance to make his season start at the Challenge Mallorca on Sunday. Geox-TMC's 20 year old Italian talent, Fabio Felline, was supposed to make his season debut on Sunday in Palma, but a broken collarbone sustained in training will put paid to those hopes.
On Wednesday, Spaziociclismo reported that the Italian rider had been, for lack of a better term, doored. While training in Monte Carlo, a woman opened her car door in front of the rider who was passing at full speed. The collision was unavoidable, but the early diagnosis was good: there was no fracture, just some abrasions, and some bruising on his arm.
A few days later though and the diagnosis has taken a turn for the worse: La Gazzette dello Sport reports that Felline did in fact break his collarbone, and of course will not be able to start on Sunday in Mallorca.
Felline is considered one of Italy's most promising talents. The native of Torino enjoyed a fantastic first season for a 19/20 year old. Following a 5th place in February at the 1.1 Classica Sarda, Felline took an eyebrow raising 10th place finish at the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke - two days before his twentieth birthday. A 32nd place finish at his first ever Amstel Gold Race followed, then a 5th in the first stage of the Tour de Romandie (26th overall). Considering his age, his placings throughout the spring were remarkable to say the least, but it just got better from there.
He really hit his stride at the 2.1 Circuit de Lorraine where he rattled off two wins, a second place, and the overall title. If that wasn't good enough, he capped off a sterling run of form to take 7th in the second stage of the Tour de Suisse. He quieted down after that and made little impact over the latter part of the season, but there's no questioning that Felline is a rider for the future, and arguably a rider poised to make big progression in 2011. Ufortunately, it will be a little while until we're able to see what the young Geox-TMC rider can do this year.