Fabio Aru leads Astana at the Abu Dhabi Tour(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Fabio Aru (Astana)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fabio Aru (Astana)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabio Aru (Astana)(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Fabio Aru holds off the bunch following a daring attack in the Criterium du Dauphine in June(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Astana have downplayed reports that Fabio Aru could recover from his knee injury and possibly start the Giro d'Italia, pointing out that his injury and long spell off the bike have seriously compromised his early season form.
The Sardinian crashed at an altitude training camp on April 2 after a tyre blow out, suffering knee cartilage damage. Aru and the Astana team confirmed on April 10 that he would miss the Giro d'Italia, with Michele Scarponi promoted as new team leader for the corsa rosa.
Scarponi won the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps on Monday, giving Astana its first road race win of 2017. On Tuesday, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the veteran Italian had revealed that Aru has in fact not given up hope of riding the Giro.
"I believe that Aru is working hard to try and recover, so he can be at the start. It all depends on what the doctors say but if he makes it, I'd be really happy," La Gazzetta quoted Scarponi as saying.
Aru also fuelled the tifosi's hopes of seeing him line-up in Sardinia on May 5 by posting a tweet of him undergoing a long physiotherapy session on Easter Monday. La Gazzetta quoted him as saying: "Me at the Giro? I'd love to be there. But the doctors tell me not to do anything crazy."
The reports sparked speculation that Aru could at least start the Giro d'Italia in front of his local fans in Sardinia, possibly with the hope of finding some form during the three weeks of racing and so perhaps target a stage victory or build his form for the Tour de France.
"Despite this unhappy situation, we don't talk about any great changes in our program. We are looking forward to the Giro d'Italia with the team we have, as well as to the Tour de France where Jakob Fuglsang, as was planned, is preparing to take a leading spot."
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
