Nine months after breaking his knee at the Tour de Suisse, Team Sky’s Sergio Henao is set to return to action at this week’s Settimana Coppi e Bartali.
On a recon of the Swiss race’s time trial last June when he was involved in a collision with a car, being diagnosed with a fractured patella at a nearby hospital.
The injury ended Henao’s already disrupted season – after the Tour of Oman last February, Team Sky withdrew their rider from competition after anomalies were found in an out of competition drugs test over the winter.
But after months of recovery and rehabilitation, Henao is ready to return to racing and he says he’s excited to restart his Team Sky career.
“I am elated to return to compete and be able to return to this level,” he told TeamSky.com. "I want to thank the team for their incredible support and to my family, my girlfriend and my friends who have been with me.
“I am ready to return. I want to make the most of this opportunity and want to return to the team confidence and dedication to help. I'm very excited to start and I want to win races in the future.”
Sky performed well at their debut in the Italian race last season, with Peter Kennaugh and Dario Cataldo claiming the first two spots on the podium as the team won four of the five stages.
Boss Sir Dave Brailsford paid tribute to Henao’s professionalism and insisted there is no pressure on the Colombian for results this soon into his comeback.
“The whole team is incredibly happy to see Sergio return to racing. The amazing resilience he has shown in coming back from such a significant injury has inspired everyone.
“This race is the next step for Sergio in his recovery plan. He’s under no pressure to perform and the key for him is to get back into the rhythm of racing in the peloton.”
