Mikel Landa should finally make his debut in Team Sky colours at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Landa will join Sebastian Henao, Gianni Moscon and last year’s runner-up Ben Swift in the line-up, according to the race organiser.
Landa has had several false starts so far this year, initially skipping the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana to focus on time trial training. He was then due to ride the Ruta del Sol, but was forced to miss it due to illness. Landa was also down to ride Tirreno-Adriatico this week but was later ruled out, thus making Coppi e Bartali his first race of the year.
The Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali is due to take place between March 24 and 27. Following that, Landa has the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Giro del Trentino and Liege-Bastogne-Liege on his calendar before the Giro d’Italia.
Barguil set for racing return
Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin) is due to make his return to racing action at the end of this month at the Volta a Catalunya, according to French website letelegramme.fr.
Barguil has not yet raced this season after being involved in a crash with a car during a team training camp in Calpe, in January. Barguil was one of six riders injured when a car crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided with the Giant-Alpecin group head on. The Frenchman escaped with a broken scaphoid.
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He hopes to be in form for the Ardennes Classics next month.
Victoria Williamson: They were sure I would be paralysed
British track rider Victoria Williamson is looking on the bright side as she continues her recovery from a horrific crash at the Six Days of Rotterdam earlier this year. Williamson had to spend eight weeks in hospital after fracturing her pelvis and several vertebrae but believes that she is lucky not to be paralysed.
"They were pretty sure paralysis was going to be the outcome while I was in Rotterdam, but luckily I pulled through," Williamson told BBC Look East. "Being an athlete, I think they said because my neck and back were so strong, I was able to withstand the force.
"Although I did break a few bones, my spinal cord stayed intact and I'm here to live another day."
Williamson crashed heavily during a sprint heat when she and Dutch rider Elis Ligtlee came together. The incident forced the organisers to cancel the remainder of the session as Williamson and Ligtlee were attended to trackside. Her injury was another setback for the Great British sprint squad, who would later fail to qualify a second rider for the Olympic Games in Rio.
Williamson has a long road back to full health but she hopes to get back onto two wheels as soon as she can. "I'm going to get back on a bike eventually," she said. "I've got no timescale yet, but I don't know what level I'll be able to get to. I'll give it a good go.
"I've got the full support team behind me. I've got physios, doctors. We've got the world's best. At the end of the day, we're a great programme, so I've got every chance of getting back to where I was."
