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Ruben Plaza leg surgery knocks him out of Tour de France

published 17 March 2011

Movistar rider hopes to ride Vuelta a Espana this year

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Spanish national champion Ruben Plaza (Caisse d'Epargne) before the start. (Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)

Ruben Plaza will miss the Tour de France this year after undergoing surgery on his broken right leg earlier this week. The Movistar rider suffered the injury at the Vuelta a Murcia, and hopes to be able to ride the Vuelta a Espana.

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The 30-year-old fractured both the tibia and fibula in his right leg and also had ankle ligament damage. Infections postponed the surgery, which was carried out on Tuesday.

“The doctors told me it was a demanding operation,” he told marca.com. “Fortunately it seems that everything went well and now after keeping it completely still for 10 to 15 days, I will be able to gradually move it again.”

He will not be able to put weight on it for about eight weeks, and will then undergo rehabilitation for several months. That puts him out of the Tour de France this year.

Plaza hopes to return to the Vuelta a Espana, “but I will not obsess,” he said. “What really matters is that the recovery goes in the right direction and the foot is fine.”