VN news ticker: Vincenzo Nibali requires surgery, Miles Scotson solos to Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana stage 1 win

Vincenzo Nibali requires surgery after training crash

Trek-Segafredo officials confirmed Vincenzo Nibali will require surgery following a training crash Wednesday near his home in Ticino, Switzerland.

“This morning Vincenzo Nibali fell alone while he was training near Ponte Tresa, in the district of Lugano, hitting his right hand,” a team statement read. “Clinical examinations at a Lugano-based clinic (X-ray and CT scan) have unfortunately revealed a compound fracture of the radius of the right wrist. The Trek-Segafredo medical staff, in agreement with the Team management and Vincenzo, have decided to opt for an immediate osteosynthesis surgery to reduce the fracture, scheduled for tomorrow in Switzerland.

“Only after the surgery will it be possible to hypothesize a recovery path and make the necessary evaluations regarding Nibali’s participation in the Giro d’Italia.”

Nibali, 36, was scheduled to race next week’s Tour of the Alps.

Miles Scotson solos to Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana stage 1 win

Miles Scotson (Groupama-FDJ) soloed to victory in the opening stage of the Volta a la Comunitatat Valenciana.

Crashing while exiting a roundabout on rain-slicked roads with just 4 kilometers to go, the Aussie calmly and quickly remounted his bike and regained a lead of nearly 50 seconds on the chasing peloton.

John Degenkolb (Lotto-Soudal) won the field sprint for second, just ahead of Alan Riou (Arkéa-Samsic).

A breakaway group of Stephen Bassett, Maxime Cam, Ibon Ruiz, Lennert Teugels, and Raffaele Radice attained a gap of more than three minutes, however they were caught at 35km to go.

Countering the catch of the break Scotson went off the front, and his move went unanswered until he had nearly 45 seconds advantage.

Illness could sideline Anna van der Breggen for Amstel Gold Race

World champion Anna van der Breggen may be ruled out of the Amstel Gold Race this weekend. Reports in Belgian media indicate the 2017 Amstel winner is suffering from cold and flu-like symptoms. The 30-year-old has been tested for COVID-19 twice since coming down with the sickness and been confirmed as clear of the virus.

Team SD Worx remains optimistic that van der Breggen will be on the start line for Amstel on Sunday.

“She hopes to be there again at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday,” said a team spokesperson Tuesday. “It remains to be seen whether she can participate for the win. But she is certainly working towards it.”

Should she return to health, van der Breggen is scheduled to start both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège next week.

Mark Cavendish after two wins in two days: ‘My confidence is still coming back’

For Mark Cavendish, race wins are like buses. You wait for a long time for one, then all of a sudden two come at once.

The Manxman took his third win in three days at the Tour of Turkey on Wednesday, ending a spell of over three years without a victory. After many seasons plagued with illness and inconsistent form, Cavendish is now rebuilding self-belief after a hat trick in Turkey on Wednesday.

“My confidence is still coming back and today I had more than yesterday and knew I could fight again for the victory,” Cavendish said after his second win Tuesday. “It was a difficult finish over the urban cobbles and with that treacherous wind, but we wanted to control the sprint ourselves. Iljo was again incredible and what he did motivated us for the finale, where we were all together. Fabio also worked hard and it was nice to see him at the sharp end of a bike race, Shane and Stijn rode a lot in the wind, while Alvaro was there for me under the flamme rouge.

“The fact that I won again gives me a lot of confidence, especially as it’s for the first time in five years or so that I’ve claimed back-to-back stages in a race. Doing it in the leader’s jersey makes it even more special. We’re happy and we’ll continue to enjoy ourselves here.”

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