Yesterday Lars Bak visited doctor Toon Claes in Herentals and an osteopath in Leuven to take a look at the recovery of the injury of his wrist. The Dane crashed in the GP La Marseillaise two weeks ago and fractured the scaphoid. The plaster was removed yesterday and he got a brace. With that brace he can train on the road, but he can only sit in one position. On February 26 he has a new appointment and then he will have a CT scan. He can possibly start racing again in Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico in the beginning of March.

“Yesterday I went to Herentals and afterwards I went to see an osteopath in Leuven, who made a brace for me that I am wearing all the time and that has to protect my hand. I had to take on my position on the bike and he made a brace that suits that position. Now I can sit only in one position on my road bike, because the wrist still has to be fixed, if the brace would be more flexible the fracture wouldn’t heal. Later today I want to ride on the road. It is important that I combine road training with the home trainer because I have to see how much I can do on the road. Doctor Toon Claes told me that I have to feel it myself if it is too painful than I have to be careful. I asked if training on the road would slow the healing of the fracture, but he said that won’t be the case if the wrist is fixed. He advised me to train on nice roads, I shouldn’t ride on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix tomorrow," laughs Lars Bak.

“When they took the plaster off yesterday, the doctor said I looked better than two weeks ago, but I could still feel it when he pushed on the spot of the fracture. With the brace on I don’t feel any pain, only some irritation. Yesterday was too early to take a picture, so they will make a CT scan on the 26th of February. And then the doctor will say if I can ride Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico. I really hope so, because you need one of those races before the classics. I can train with this brace, but can’t race with it. I can only do my homework and hope for the best. “