Jonathan Bellis (SaxoBank-SunGard) has come down sick just before he was scheduled to start the Tour of Poland and, consequently, the ‘other’ rider from the Isle of Man will be forced to take some time off. Bellis will look to begin racing again soon.
The Brit, just 22 years old, is still trying to get his career back on track after a life-threatening accident on a motor scooter in September of 2009. Originally listed in critical but stable condition, Bellis spent four weeks in an induced coma.
Bellis returned to racing in the middle of last season, but he still seems to be on the long road back to top form. This year, he started the Ster ZLM Tour in June, but dropped out after three stages. Earlier this month, he raced the Tour of Austria, but got a DNF on stage two.
After that he went to a two week training camp in the French Alps. Bellis even made a point of watching the Tour de France peloton race by when the race got near where he was staying.
Unfortunately, Bellis has come out of that training camp with some health problems. “The plan was to start the Tour of Poland this weekend,” Bellis said on his Twitter account. “Had a rough time the last 3 or 4 days, so I went to the doctor today. He told me I have bronchitis, so it looks like a week of doing f--- all in the hope that I will be back racing and training as soon as possible.”
The team has not said if there will be a replacement for Bellis.
In Poland, SaxoBank-Sungard will rest its hopes on hometown rider Jaroslaw Marycz. The 24-year-old Pole finished all the cobbled classics in support of Nick Nuyens and Baden Cooke in the spring. With the spotlight now on him, he will look for a stage victory in him home tour, beginning on Sunday.
The Danish team will also bring their fast pair of brothers to Poland, sprinters Juan Jose and Lucas Sebastian Haedo. Juan Jose will be looking for his third win of the season, after taking stage wins at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Ster ZLM Tour.
SaxoBank-SunGard for the Tour of Poland:
Jaroslaw Marycz, Jonas Aaen Jorgensen, Juan Jose Haedo, Manuele Boaro, Rafael Majka, Lucas Sebastian Haedo, Laurent Didier