Soler to be honoured

Mauricio Soler of Team Barloworld will be honoured this week for his successes this season, and will be a guest of honour at the presentation of the Tour de France route on Thursday in Paris. The Colombian rider scored the mountain stage to Briançon in this year's Tour and won the overall polka-dot jersey for best climber.

He followed up his success at the Tour by winning the Vuelta a Burgos. However, in late August he crashed in the Coppa Agostini. Fears that he had broken his elbow proved to be false, but Soler had to have surgery to rebuild the cartilage in his right wrist on top of also having knee problems.

Following the wrist surgery, he returned home to Colombia for convalescence, but has since returned to Europe. On Saturday he had minor nasal surgery.

This evening, the Colombian climber will be at the Gran Gala Ciclisto Internazionale in Coneglianio, Italy, to receive an award for his successes this season.

In addition, it was announced that Soler would participate in the Pick 'n' Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge in November, a race in South Africa which raises money for charity.