The Norwegian had to leave the Tour de France during the 12th stage, when a crash left him with a broken shoulder blade. As of Monday, he was able to start light training again, although he does not yet know when he can train on the road again.
He was very unhappy to have to leave the Tour as he did. “It is very bitter to crash. There are many crashes I could have been involved in, but managed to avoid. To crash and to abandon some races is natural, but it is bitter when crashing out of the Tour de France, the biggest race of the year.”
“I figure I'll be ready for the world championships. There has been good progress,” he told Procycling.no. “It has only been one and a half weeks since I broke my shoulder and I'm back with a sling and it is almost normal.
“In the beginning I could not move my arm. After that I started to get movement in the shoulder and train. I relaxed a bit and watched the Tour de France.”
He now has his eye on the Worlds, and the difficult course in Florence. “I have not looked so closely at it. It is a hard course. If I am in good shape, I can stay (with the leaders). This is a course that sprinters will not keep up with.”
Boasson Hagen won silver last year at the Worlds behind Philippe Gilbert and aims for a better result this year. “It went really well last year, so now it should be something better. The goal is to become world champion once during my career, and there is a new opportunity every year.”
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