Fullana returns to riding her bike

A month after a crash prematurely ended her mountain bike season, Marga Fullana is well on her way to recovery. The crash, two days before the World Cup in Champéry, Switzerland, in mid-September, fractured the Spaniard's L2 vertebra, but her rehabilitation has gone well and no long-term issues are expected.

Fullana reported that the intense pain that had plagued her in recent weeks has subsided, and she is resuming training on the bike this week. While off the bike, Fullana has been walking and spending time in the gym to maintain some fitness and to strengthen and reinforce the areas surrounding her injured back.

Doctors have been surprised by the speed of Fullana's recovery. They said that on average, a recovery time for her injury can be as much as six months, but Fullana is back to riding her bike after just one month.

The former World Champion and current Spanish National Champion, who finished fifth overall in the World Cup cross country, is already looking ahead to the 2010 season.

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