Llaneras to return

Juan Llaneras, Madison partner to the late Isaac Galvez, will return to competition this month, according to the Spanish daily Marca. Llaneras initially indicated he'd retire after living through such an unprecedented loss, but the 37 year old isn't ready to hang up the bike just yet. "Clearly I thought about leaving it and everything. It was the first reaction: logic, natural… normal after what had happened... but life goes on and giving it all up, unfortunately, will not solve anything. In addition, the track is my life, is my dream, my family, is it almost everything."

Llaneras and Galvez had dreamed of winning another world title, this time in their home country when the championship is held in Mallorca, but the loss of this dream does not deter Llaneras. "Although I will no longer be able to achieve some of the goals that I had, I still have some other challenges left to fulfill" he told Marca.

Despite continuing on in the world of track cycling, one thing Llaneras will not do try to win the world championship in the Madison this year. But he isn't counting out the possibility of finding another partner in the future. "I am not closing the door on contesting the Madison in the Olympic Games in Beijing, but I must desire it - and right now it doesn't appeal to me."

Even though he was so emotionally impacted by the tragic accident to his partner, Llaneras does not believe that track cycling is inherently dangerous. "I am convinced of it - the track is safe. It is not a risky sport, rather on the contrary...They can always do things to improve the safety, perhaps and, in particular, some protection could be put on the balustrade", but he insisted that the accident was just a bad turn of fate.