World time trial champion able to continue training with cycling-specific cast
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) has successfully undergone off-season surgery on his left wrist, to finally fix the injury he sustained in the 2012 Tour de France, his team reports. The World time trial champion went under the knife, under supervision of team medical staff, at the BG Hospital, in Hamburg, in his native Germany, to repair a “non-union” of the fracture of his scaphoid bone.
Martin fractured his scaphoid when he came down just 11km into the first stage of last year’s race, but soldiered on until the first long time trial of the race eight days later. He then abandoned the race to prepare specifically for the Olympic Games time trial, in London, where he was one of three big favourites, but could only manage the silver medal as home hero Bradley Wiggins added gold to his Tour victory.
The German recovered sufficiently to retain his World time trial title, in Valkenburg, Netherlands, in September, then go on to take the Tour of Beijing and the Chrono des Nations.
This season saw Martin apparently back to his best against the clock, winning both the German and World titles again, as well as stages in races including Tirreno-Adriatico, the Critérium du Dauphiné, and the Tour de France. He has evidently still been feeling the effects of his 2012 injury, however, and has taken the off-season opportunity to correct the problem.
Martin will be able to return to training immediately, thanks to “a special, bike specific cast,” which will mean that he won’t have to wait the usual six weeks after the operation.