Weening drops out of the Vuelta a Espana
Two Team Rabobank riders, Pieter Weening and Bauke Mollema, both broke their collarbones in the fifth and final stage of the Tour of Burgos and Tour of Poland, respectively. It was decided today by team doctor Peter van Esseveldt that Weening’s injuries are going to prevent him from racing in the Vuelta a España.
“My break is in too difficult a place to s***w a plate and have any benefit from it,” said Weening on the Rabobank website, “I’m resigned to stop, but should be able to return for the races in October if the team needs me.”
After Weening crashed on the descent of the final climb of the Tour of Burgos and was unable to finish the event, van Esseveldt immediately diagnosed the injury but mistakenly said the he would be back on a bike within three days of an operation to pin the broken bone. The location of the break has made the originally-intended corrective surgery impossible.
Mollema crashed in the final stage of the Tour of Poland, but after a quick diagnosis, van Esseveldt allowed him to finish the race and the Rabobank rider finished third overall in the Tour.
"I examined him right away and he could move his arm well," said Van Esseveldt. "He was in pain, but it wasn't so bad. It did not look like a break at all, so I let him finish the race."
Mollema’s injury was less severe and will see him return to racing sooner than Weening.
“I must do nothing right now; then some adapted training; maybe in a few weeks I’ll be back to just cycling,” said Mollema
Weening was disappointed to have not been selected for the Tour de France and now, with the third and final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España out of the question, he won’t be able to build on his form from the Giro d’Italia, which he finished in 24th overall. He competed in the Österreich-Rundfahrt in July in the place of the Tour de France, and finish in the top-10.
Tags: