Scott Zwizanski rides with team veteran Andrew Pinfold.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich)
Scott Zwizanski (UnitedHealthcare) tuned his time trial bike in the wind tunnel before the race, and it paid off with a third place on the stage.(Image credit: Luis Barbosa)
Scott Zwizanski (UnitedHealthcare) suffered a severe hand laceration along with broken bones two weeks ago and will not participate in his targeted Amgen Tour of California scheduled to from May 15-22. The time trial specialist was on form to put forth a strong performance at the event’s stage six 24kms time trial held in Solvang.
“It really sucks not to be able to race at the Tour of California, it’s a real big bummer,” Zwizanski told Cyclingnews. “Crashes happen and this isn’t that bad, things can always be worse when you have a serious crash. It is a bummer, but it’s also a long season and there will be other races to do and hopefully I will just make up for it.”
Zwizanski crashed during his final preparations at the Vuelta Asturias Julio Alvarez Mendo held from April 28 to May 2 in Spain. He went down during the first stage on a descent and cut his hand between the third and fourth metacarpal along with two broken bones in the same hand.
“I overcooked a corner on a descent and crashed,” Zwizanski said. “I some how jacked my hand against a stone wall and originally thought it was just a separated little finger. But, when I got back it turns out I broke a bone in my hand, a piece of bone on my knuckle was broken off and I had to get two pins in it. I also had to have eight stitches between my two fingers where the webbing tore.”
Zwizanski was informed by his doctors of a six-week recovery period and he will potential miss the USA Cycling Pro Time Trial Championships held in May in Greenville, South Carolina.
“I will have to do all indoor and trainer training,” Zwizanski said. “As for the USPro time trial championships, I’m not ruling it out yet and I’m not ruling it in either, we will see. The focus is just to get the hand better as quick as possible and I will be able to do lots of trainer time. We will have to play it by ear when I get back as to what races I can do.”
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Zwizanski opened the season with a third place in the time trial at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina, his teams first podium appearance as a new Professional Continental UCI team. He went on to place a strong seventh in the time trial at the Giro del Trentino held in Italy last month.
He is a proven time trial contender amongst his American peers after placing third in the USA Cycling Pro Time Trial Championships in 2009. He also won the overall title at the Tour de Beauce.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
