Cervélo rider under pressure at last races of the season
Englishman Dan Fleeman (Cervélo TestTeam) (Image credit: Shane Goss)
After an injury-hit year, Dan Fleeman is hoping to rescue his season with his final two races of 2009. The Cervélo TestTeam rider broke his wrist in May when competing at the Bayern Rundfahrt and was forced to spend three months away from racing. A comeback in August had given him a chance to find his form, but with just the Giro del Piemonte and Giro di Lombardia left on his schedule, and his one-year contract coming to an end, the 27-year-old knows it's time to perform.
"Since coming back I've been getting better and better with each race," Fleeman told Cyclingnews. "It's been difficult though. I've been playing catch up against the pros and it's my first season at this level, so I can't think of anything more challenging. I've stuck to my task and I'm going to give it everything for these final two races."
Fleeman raced last week at the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, but "it was a flat race that didn't suit me but I worked hard for our sprinter. With Lombardia I'm a bit worried about the distance as it's a really selective race. The hills should suit me and unlike lots of riders, I'm still fresh, feeling good and I've got a point to prove."
Fleeman knows that time is against him, and with a disappointing season, he could find himself struggling to pick up a contract for next year. Last year he won the Tour of the Pyrenees and finished seventh overall in the Tour of Britain. "It's been disappointing. I was just getting going and then I broke my wrist. I've not got to the level I had last year and I wanted to step up but these things happen. As for my future, it's all up in the air at the moment but I'm hopeful that I can work something out soon."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
