Fuglsang slowed by knee problems

Jakob Fuglsang of Saxo Bank is the next young rider to incur knee tendon problems during training. He has been forced to cut down his training and undergo medical treatments.

Earlier this week it was announced that HTC-Columbia's Tony Martin, 24, had incurred tendon problems by overtraining.

Fuglsang, 24, told the Danish news agency Ritzau, “ I can train, but it hurts if I strain it too hard. They say that it would be preferrable not to strain it too much, but it's sometimes hard to resist.”

The Dane is undergoing daily laser treatment and taking anti-inflammatory medication. He has also adjusted his bike and pedals to reduce the burden on his knee.

Fuglsang thought he knew why the problem occurred. “I've got a new bike and new shoes, and it may well be what triggered it. I have moved around a bit, so I sit differently on the bike.” This has helped the inflammation, but not cured it.

The 24-year-old is still scheduled to open his season at the Mallorca Challenge, which starts on Sunday. However, he does not know what his condition will be for his first big race, Paris-Nice, in early March.

“I'd like to do well in Paris-Nice, but it will of course depend on how I'm doing at the time. I would like to see where I stand compared to the others. But I will not push my workout just to run strong in Paris-Nice.”

In his first pro year of 2009, Fuglsang won the overall titles in both the Tour of Denmark and the Tour of Slovenia.