Bevin back to full health, raring to go
New Zealand cyclist Patrick Bevin will mark his return to racing at next week’s UAE Tour, after finally recovering from the injuries he sustained in a nasty crash at the Tour Down Under last month.
The 27-year-old will spearhead CCC Team’s general classification assault during the week-long stage race, with young Polish sprinter Jakub Mareczko tasked with chasing stage victories.
Bevin was on the cusp of a maiden World Tour stage race victory when he led the Tour Down Under for four days, only to have his hopes dashed when he crashed at high speed with about 10km left on the penultimate stage.
He sustained severe bruising to his ribs and hips and was ruled out of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race the following week.
‘‘After the highs and lows of the Tour Down Under, I’m itching to start racing again. It took some time to shake off my injuries but I have managed them pretty well and I’m starting to get back to where I want to be. It will be good to see what I can do here,’’ Bevin said.
The inaugural UAE Tour begins with a team time trial on Monday (NZT), which was an area of strength for Bevin’s team under its previous guise, BMC Racing.
‘‘We will be able to gauge how the team is going with the team time trial on stage one,’’ he said.
‘‘The first TTT of the year can always bring surprises, and with a full World Tour team lineup, it will be a tough challenge, but we will use it as a way of testing ourselves ahead of the rest of the race.’’
Kiwi riders Sam Bewley and Jack Bauer (Mitchelton-Scott) will also be in action at the UAE Tour. Their job will be to support Ethiopian rider Tsgabu Grmay, a new addition to the team.