Vasil Kiryienka returns to action after cardiac anomaly with Team Ineos at Tour de Romandie

Belarusian will line-up for squad's first race as Team Ineos
Richard Windsor

Vasil Kiryienka has been given the all clear to resume racing after being sidelined for a ‘cardiac anomaly’ in March.

The Belarusian returned the anomaly in a routine heart scan, and has not raced since ending his 2018 season at the World Championships in Innsbruck last September.

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Team Sky have not given any detail into the exact details of the anomaly, but said that Kiryienka has ‘responded well to treatment’ and is now ready to begin racing again.

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The 37-year-old will line-up for the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday in what will be the first outing for the squad under it’s new guise of Team Ineos.

“We’re delighted that Vasil Kiryienka is ready to return to action,” the team said in a brief social media statement. “He has responded well to treatment for his cardiac anomaly and has been given the all clear to race.”

Kiryienka has been with the team since 2013, and will now race in a one-off black Team Ineos kit at Romandie before the team is officially unveiled on Wednesday, May 1 ahead of the Tour de Yorkshire.

The team also posted a mock-up of their temporary kit; a simple black design with a blue stripe down the spine with the Ineos logo across the chest and on the sides of the shorts.

Geraint Thomas will lead the team in the Swiss stage race, which begins with a Prologue time trial on Tuesday before concluding on Sunday with another time trial in Genève.

The Welshman is using the race as part of his build-up to a defence of his Tour de France title in July, and will face competition for the overall Romandie title from the likes of Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin), Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) among others.

Ben Swift will also return to action for Ineos after being hospitalised following a training crash in February, while Jonathan Castroviejo is back after crashing out of the Tour of the Basque Country in early April.

Dylan van Baarle, Diego Rosa, Filippo Ganna and Kenny Elissonde complete the line-up for Team Ineos’ first race.