Won’t participate if he can’t ride strong for Wiggins
Things are looking up for Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen following close to two months away from competition due to an Achilles tendon injury. The young Norwegian’s problems surfaced following his participation in the year’s longest Classic, Milan-Sanremo. Although his chance to secure a high placing in Italy was wiped away with a recurring stomach problem, the long miles helped to aggravate the tendon.
Boasson Hagen was last able to race at the E3 Prijs in late March, but after some initial progress in the healing process, his condition worsened and he was unable to take part in the rest of the spring Classics.
According the VG Nett, he was able to train for four hours on the road bike today with his teammate Lars Petter Nordhaug. One week ago he was only able to ride for two hours each day in two separate one-hour sessions, so there has been a marked improvement in recent days.
The Norwegian recently began receiving treatment from Tom Skjønnhaug, a man who is held in high regard for having previously worked with Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) to resolve his neck issues. He is called the “miracle man” by some, which is what the 23 year old will require to make the start of the Tour de France in July.
“Edvald was up to more than twenty hours of training last week, and this week he will have even more,” explained his coach Fredrik Mohn. “He’s training as he should now and he doesn’t have pain.”
Boasson Hagen decided not to participate in the recent Tour de Picardie to allow more time for recovery. He is scheduled to ride in Bayern Rundfahrt next week, which will give him an indication of the healing progress and his fitness level.
“We do not know much before Bayern, but if he holds up well in the race, we take the next step. Only then can we think about getting him back into good shape,” added Mohn.
Senior Sports Director Scott Sunderland and the rest of the management at Team Sky have maintained that Boasson Hagen’s health comes first, and he won’t be rushed back into competition. If the injury isn’t allowed to heal properly, the 23 year old could have chronic problems throughout his career.
He is focusing on being ready for the Grande Boucle, but his coach said that there are other more important considerations on the young prodigy’s mind. “Naturally, Edvald wants to ride the Tour de France, but it won’t be a tragedy if he doesn’t. If he is unable to do a solid job for Bradley Wiggins he [Boasson Hagen] is not interested in participating,” he concluded.