A potential start at the upcoming Vuelta a Femenina is looking increasingly unlikely as Lizzie Deignan continues to recover from a broken arm sustained in a crash at the Tour of Flanders last month.
Lid-Trek confirmed to Cyclingnews that Deignan's recovery is going well and that her medical team has given her the green light to begin training indoors. However, her racing schedule is still on hold.
"Lizzie’s recovery is going well, and she has already resumed training indoors, however, her participation in the Vuelta is looking unlikely," the team provided an update to Cyclingnews on Friday.
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Deignan was forced to abandon the Tour of Flanders following an early-race crash just 10km into the women's 163km race. While there were multiple riders involved in the accident, Deignan and Marlen Reusser (SD WOrx-Protime) bore the brunt of the injuries.
X-rays showed Deignan suffered a fracture to the radial head of her right arm, while Reusser's injuries included a fracture to her jaw, both ear canals and eight broken teeth.
Deignan competed in seven early-season one-day races during the Spring Classics block. Her additional targets later in the season included the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France Femmes, while the selection for Team GB's squad for the Olympic Games is also a priority.
Her stage racing season was expected to being at the Vuelta a Femenina held from April 28 to May 5. However, while her recovery is going well, it has only been three weeks since the injury, and the team has stated that a start at the Spanish stage is, therefore, unlikely.
Deignan told the BBC that she is working with her medical team on a full recovery and mobility in her arm and that she works through levels of pain during treatment to ensure a full range of motion.
"I've been told to push through certain levels of pain, particularly because of the injury I've had," said Deignan, noting that she currently has limited strength in her hand that affects holding brake levers and shifting gears.
"To get full mobility back, I have to push myself to straighten my arm more than I want to. I am struggling to know what is a good level of pain. So I'm figuring out my limits in terms of pain of a broken bone. I've not done that before."
Neither she nor Lidl-Trek have confirmed Deignan's racing schedule, but the BBC suggests that she could begin racing at the Women's Tour in June.
