BMC’s Racing’s Peter Stetina and Taylor Phinney have spent extended periods of time out of competition while recovering from serious injuries, but both riders announced via Twitter Friday that they will return to racing at the Tour of Utah, which starts Monday.
Phinney has not raced in over a year, after crashing into a roadside barrier and breaking his leg during the U.S. national championship road race on May 26, 2014. The injury required surgery, and the 25-year-old American from Boulder, Colorado has been recuperating ever since.
His recovery took longer than he had initially hoped, forcing him to miss the spring classics and then the Tour de France, but Phinney has Tweeted that he will finally make his return at the Tour of Utah.
Happy to announce that I’ll be racing the Tour of Utah, starting Monday. Thank you to the many beautiful souls who have helped get me back!
— Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney) July 31, 2015
Dr. Max Testa, a member of BMC Racing’s training staff, notes that the the team does not have any specific expectations for Phinney’s performance in the race. “Taylor has been working very hard to get to where he is now and believes that he is ready to race,” he said. “The team has no expectations of him. He will test his condition to see where his knee is and what kind of condition he has. From this race, he can gauge what the rest of the season may look like.”
Peter Stetina has been out since April of 2015, having suffered a broken tibia and patella and a few broken ribs after crashing into a metal pole of the Vuelta al País Vasco. He underwent surgery and spent several days in the hospital. Stetina also took to Twitter to announce his return at the Tour of Utah.
I’m racing @TourofUtah So happy to be back! @taylorphinney & I are Team Cripple, we’ll ask the officials if we can use a tandem #comeback
— Peter Stetina (@peterstetina) July 31, 2015
“All of the doctors who have seen Peter cannot believe his determination,” said Dr. Testa of Stetina. “He did not want to miss this opportunity to return to racing in the U.S. The team will not put any pressure on him, either. He will have to take the race one stage at a time and see how he feels.”
The seven-stage Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah gets underway August 3 in Logan, Utah.
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