Stage-hunter superstars Michael Woods and Jonas Abrahamsen are the latest to have seen their Tour de France dreams derailed just weeks before the grand départ.
Former Tour de France stage-winner Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) was forced out of the Tour de Suisse this week with a lung infection. Breakaway star Abrahamsen (Uno X-Mobility) fractured his collarbone in his final tune-up race in Belgium.
It’s uncertain whether either will recover in time for the race they’ve been chasing since the off-season.
“Cycling is a cruel, cruel sport,” Woods wrote on Instagram.
“For the second time this year, I came off a great altitude camp, in great form, only to abandon the first race post. This time it was due to a lung infection.”
Canadian ace Woods only returned to racing this month after he was put on the sidelines in spring with a fractured collarbone.
“It’s tough to be ending my time in the Canadian national champion’s jersey this way, but I have some big races on the horizon,” he wrote. “Hopefully, the bad luck stops here.”
Races like the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de Suisse are scheduled into calendars as the cherry on top of a months-long chase for Tour de France form.
However, they can just as easily mark the start of several weeks on the couch.
Former maillot jaune Geraint Thomas abandoned Suisse earlier this week “as a precaution” after he crashed on the eve of his swansong Tour de France.
Top Soudal Quick-Step domestique Louis Vervaeke fractured his collarbone in a crash at the Dauphiné and might not be healed in time to join “Team Remco” in July.
The Tour de France dance: Chasing fitness and form vs. staying healthy and upright
Woods and Abrahamsen are pinning their hopes on a hyper-speed recovery for the Tour.
They could see a rough return to intensity at the grand départ on July 5 if they make their miracle comebacks.
“While the chances of Jonas making the start in Lille remain very slim, he is motivated to do everything possible to be ready,” Uno-X updated on Instagram on Friday. “He will have the team’s full support throughout his recovery.
“As always, the health and wellbeing of our riders comes first. Any final decision will be made in the best interest of Jonas – not just for this season, but for the rest of his career.”
Riders are spun into a dangerous dance ahead of the Tour de France.
They hunt form in prestigious WorldTour events that leave them only seconds away from the tarmac.
The push to lose a final few pounds and hit “race weight” sees athletes teetering on the abyss of sickness, burnout, or overuse injury.
The most important finish-line of summer is Kilometer Zero of the Tour
The Tour’s “big three” – Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel – all chose the Critérium du Dauphiné last week for their final Tour de France test.
The ASO race is becoming the go-to tune-up event over the Tour de Suisse for its favorable timings and Tour-style set-up. Crucially, the Dauphiné allows sufficient gap before the Tour de France to rehab niggles and smooth out form.
The inherent risk of racing is tilting many leading pros to spend more time at altitude in the months before Le Tour.
Yet there’s no replacing the elbows and accelerations of the peloton.
No interval session can replace the intensity of racing, and not even science-focused teams like Visma-Lease a Bike and Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe would leave their leaders at thin air all through June.
Races like the Dauphiné and Suisse are both lucrative prizes and necessary evils. The most important finish line of the summer will always be kilometer zero of the grand départ.