Deignan back on the road after injury as Giro looms

After breaking his collarbone back in mid-February, Donegal professional cyclist Philip Deignan returns to action today with a stage-race in Italy and is optimistic about his chances of riding the Giro d’Italia, which starts in Belfast on May 9.

Having broken his left collarbone, for the second time, on a rain-soaked Tour of Britain stage last September, Deignan broke his right collarbone just over six weeks ago when he ran into the back of a car that stopped suddenly in front of him while out training, but the Team Sky rider believes he’s going to be on the start-line in a little over six weeks.

“I’m still really optimistic about being there, but it’s going to take time to build up again. We’re still six or seven weeks out and a lot can happen in that period,” he said.

“Hopefully with the Coppi-Bartali (which starts today) and either a training camp in Tenerife or the Tour of the Basque Country and the Giro del Trentino afterwards, I can get back in shape. It’s been a long slow process. I still feel I’ve got a lot of time to make the Giro, but I have to start now to get the ball rolling.

“I had a week or 10 days off the bike at home in Letterkenny and then flew back out here again for a week on the turbo and then, in the last three weeks, I’ve got some decent training in.

“I’ve been doing some general work to try and strengthen up the right shoulder again but it’s incredible how much strength you lose by not being able to use your arm for two or three weeks.

“After the first three weeks, I was cracking up a little bit because things weren’t improving but now, in the last fortnight, I’ve seen a big, big improvement.”