Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) will continue to contest the Giro d'Italia despite reports in the Colombian's homeland that he would withdraw from the event. Soler, like Spain's Alberto Contador, underwent examinations on yesterday's rest day to check on injuries sustained during the Grand Tour's early stages.
Soler crashed on the Tour's opening stage to Sicily and underwent an x-ray at the time which cleared him of any damage. The 2007 Tour de France King of the Mountains winner experienced pain all week, and another x-ray yesterday revealed he does have a micro-fracture in his wrist.
"We’re going monitor Soler’s condition day-by-day," said team doctor Massimiliano Mantovani. "He's going to feel some pain but continuing in the race will not affect his recovery."
Soler wasn't the only Barloworld rider requiring a check up on the rest day, with Francesco Bellotti also having x-rays. Bellotti also has a micro-fracture, but in his left elbow after crashing on Saturday during the stage to Tivoli. The Italian rider will continue to contest the event under the watchful eye of the team’s medical staff. Bellotti hopes that his condition improves in the next few days, however the team has already said it will be difficult for the rider to make the finish in Milano.
"We definitely haven’t been very lucky so far in the Giro but we’ve got to fight back because the race is very long and there are still chances of success," said team manager Claudio Corti. "We’re going to monitor things very closely because we obviously don’t want to put the health of our riders at risk."
