Despite breaking his collarbone just 17 days before the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) has not been ruled out of the race, with his team revealing that his fracture isn't as severe as initially thought.
Abrahamsen was one of the breakaway stars of last year's Tour, taking second on stage 2, wearing the iconic polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey for several days, and lighting up several stages on the attack.
But after being announced as part of Uno-X Mobility's team for the Tour, his third appearance in the race seemingly went up in smoke when he crashed on the opening stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour, his final preparation event.
Abrahamsen went down at high speed on a wide road as riders tried to move up for the sprint in the final 10km approach to Knokke-Heist, immediately showing signs typical of a collarbone break, which his team confirmed that evening.
Two days on, though, and they revealed there was a small chance he might still make it to Lille.
"New medical assessments have brought some optimism regarding Jonas Abrahamsen’s collarbone injury. A CT scan reviewed by a world-leading shoulder specialist suggests the fracture is less severe than first feared, and surgery may not be necessary," read a Uno-X Mobility Instagram post.
"While the chances of Jonas making the start in Lille remain very slim, he is motivated to do everything possible to be ready – and he will have the team’s full support throughout his recovery."
The timeline for a collarbone fracture is normally at least 4 weeks, but a video on Abrahamsen's Instagram story confirmed what the team said about severity. The Norwegian could be seen already back on the turbo trainer pushing 500 Watts on Thursday evening, without a sling on.
His health remains paramount, of course, and the team is set to monitor his progress and ensure the decision on his Tour preparation is made with his long-term health in mind.
"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," said Uno-X Mobility.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and make a new assessment regarding our Tour de France line-up next week."
Not the only one
Abrahamsen isn't the only rider with a fractured collarbone trying to make it in time for the Lille start on July 5, with Remco Evenepoel's Soudal-QuickStep Louis Vervaeke also trying to do everything he can to be present for his GC leader.
Vervaeke fractured his clavicle on stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, giving him slightly more time to recover than Abrahamsen. He did require surgery, but hadn't given up hope when speaking to Nieuwsblad last week.
"Immediately after my crash I thought: 'Everything is ruined', but within the team they are optimistic, which really motivates me to try to get back on my feet again," said Vervaeke to Nieuwsblad.
"It’s really amazing how quickly a shoulder can recover. The day after my operation I thought: 'I can't possibly make the Tour.' I was in so much pain and couldn't move my shoulder at all. But since then my shoulder has started handling everything again."
"If I make the Tour, I will of course still have missed some racing in the Dauphiné and an altitude training camp in Tignes. But in terms of condition that is not necessarily a disaster.
"Everything depends on how quickly I can train again. Apparently, Tom Pidcock won Olympic gold four weeks after breaking his collarbone. I'm taking that up."
They are both hopeful, then, but the clock is ticking for Vervaeke and Abrahamsen to recover in time for cycling's biggest race.
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