Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) (Image credit: Sadhbh O'Shea)
José JoaquÍn Rojas (Movistar) underwent a successful surgery to correct a heart defect today. The 30-year-old found out during routine examinations during team camp in Pamlona that he had an irregular heartbeat. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a malfunction in the heart's electrical circuits.
Rojas had the surgery done at the Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona today. Doctors used a catheter to reach his heart and then burned out the nerves causing the problem. It is not expected to affect his 2016 season.
The winner of the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar posted a photo of himself from his hospital bed on Twitter, writing, "Operation done and dusted. I have a heart that is too big for my chest!"
Operación lista y finiquitada! Todo salió genial !! Tengo un corazón que no que cabe en el pecho
France watching 11 for Olympic Games
The French national coach Bernard Bourreau is keeping 11 riders on his list for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The riders were chosen to take part in a training camp from November 30-December 4 at the Termignon resort in Savoie.
Bourreau has selected an elite group of climbers including Romain Bardet, Jean-Christophe Peraud, Alexis Vuillermoz, Alexis Gougeard and Pierre Latour (AG2R La Mondiale), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Jérôme Coppel (IAM Cycling), Kevin Ledanois (Bretagne Séché Environnement ), Christophe Laporte (Cofidis), and Romain Sicard (Europcar) for the event.
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Riders will have a five day course at altitude, with training in the gym, team sports, running, hiking and if there is snow, skiing or snowshoeing. In addition to preparing for Rio, the French team will also target the World Championships in Doha and the European Championships in Nice.
Aramendia still struggling after iliac artery surgery
Javier Aramendia is having to learn how to pedal a bike all over again after a year-long struggle following surgery to repair his iliac artery last December.
The 28-year-old raced only 22 days this season with Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, and had trouble putting out power. He was putting out only a third of the power in his left leg that his right leg could, and finally discovered why.
"After so much time injured, the muscles were not working properly and, secondly, the operation to repair the artery caused what you could call collateral damage; it is like going to the shop, you fix one thing and you break another," he said to Biciciclismo.
Trying to race caused imbalances that he is now working to correct, with specific strengthening exercises, and a new position on the bike. "It is nothing to do with the problem of the artery, that is already forgotten. It may sound like a joke but I have to learn how to ride again."
Aramendia looks forward to the 2016 season and hopes he can get better results. "I think I can do because until now it has been as if I have been riding with the brakes on."
USA Cycling Pro CX leaders unchanged after Subaru Cup
USA Cycling’s Professional Cyclo-Cross Calendar (Pro CX) standings did not see much change following the November 14-15 Subaru Cyclo Cup in Lakewood, Washington, as Stephen Hyde (Cannondale-cyclorossworld.com) and Caroline Mani (Raleigh-Clement) held onto their men’s and women’s standings leads.
Mani recorded two second-place finishes to pad her women’s standings lead with 607 points, while Hyde held on to his men’s lead with 619 points despite not recording any points over the weekend. Gage Hecht (Alpha Bicycle Co.-Vista Subaru) remains atop the junior men’s standings with 195 points.
The coming weekend will have another double dose of Pro CX racing with the Supercross Cup in Stony Point, New York, and the CXLA Weekend Long Beach Edition in Southern California.
