Tour de France start still a possibility
Sylvain Chavanel suffered a frightening crash in the closing moments of Liege-Bastogne-Liege just over six weeks ago. Chavanel crashed into a team car, as he was working his way through the caravan to make contact with the group in front of him. The collision resulted in a number of injuries with a fractured skull being the most serious.
It was projected that Chavanel would be out for eight weeks, taking him well into June and bringing his Tour de France start into question.
The French Classics hope was disappointed in his luck this spring, but also thankful for the one little bit of luck he did have: “The fall is the latest setback in what was a period of bad luck for me. I feel frustrated, but now I also know that I had some luck. The consequences of the fall could have been much more serious.”
Fast forward to Saturday, June 12th, 47 days after the crash, and Chavanel will start in Saturday’s opening time trial in Lugano at the Tour de Suisse – a very valuable week ahead of schedule. Chavanel will take part in the race with only the goal of gaining form ahead of a possible start at the Tour de France on July 3rd in Rotterdam. Had Chavanel not been able to start in Lugano, the chances of taking part in the Tour de France would have been zero, but racing the Tour de Suisse could make all the difference for the rider from Châtellerault, France.
The three-time French time trial champion is ready to make his comeback, but he’s putting no pressure on himself:
“Now all I have to do is relax and focus in my mind on getting better without hurrying. Everyone knows my personality and the constructive spirit I have when I’m facing such challenges.”