Former U23 World Champion Romain Sicard (Euskaltel-Euskadi) has been away from racing for most of the season due to knee problems. And it will take yet some few days before he is ready to race again.

“The truth is that I am worried,” team manager Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano told Biciciclismo. “He has a major injury, which isn't too serious, but has taken a long time to heal and is still in the recovery period. I trust that within a week or 15 days he will be back on his bike.”

This season, Sicard has finished the Ruta del Sol and started the Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya, but abandoned the two races.

Earlier it was told that new cycling shoes caused the problems, but according to Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano something else had happened.

“He fell at home in December and that created a problem with his pedalling. That produced a problem which affects one leg, which has now been weakened, and he hasn't been able to recover his pedal stroke.”

“These things are rare but the truth is that we are concerned. I hope he can train within a week, and then we'll practically have to start from scratch.”