Fuglsang withdraws from Volta a Catalunya due to broken hand

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Jakob Fuglsang (RadioShack-Nissan) did not start today's fourth stage of the Volta a Catalunya due to a broken hand suffered during the previous day's stage. His team announced today that the 27-year-old Dane sustained a scaphoid fracture in his left hand from a crash early in stage three. While 34 riders ultimately abandoned yesterday on a frigid, rainy stage, Fuglsang persevered through to the finish which the race organisers shortened by 55km due to snow on the mountain top finish.

Fuglsang was well-placed on general classification at the Volta a Catalunya, in eighth place overall and tied on time with 27 other riders who were all 1:32 behind leader Michael Albasini (GreenEdge).

Fuglsang, who turned 27 years old today, will undergo an operation in Basel, Switzerland, on either Friday or Saturday and is expected to resume training on rollers on Monday. Fuglsang will return to racing wearing a cast, but his next competition has yet to be announced.

The injury is a setback in the build-up to Fuglsang's role as RadioShack-Nissan's general classification hope for the Giro d'Italia, which starts May 5 in his native Denmark. Early this year Fuglsang told Cyclingnews that this season is "the most important year of my career", with the Giro slated as his primary target.