FLORENCE, Italy (VN) — The message to Fabio Aru is clear: don’t get bogged down at the Critérium du Dauphiné and keep your focus on the Tour de France.
Astana’s star from Sardinia began racing this week after a three-month break during which he missed the 100th Giro d’Italia, which started on his home island, due to a crash and knee pain. The team is reminding him that the stage race in southeast France serves as a stepping stone to competing in the Tour de France.
“All we say is Fabio, don’t let yourself get down in the Dauphiné,” Astana manager Giuseppe Martinelli said. “It’s important to keep going on the path knowing your condition is well. He lacks races, and this will help make the difference.”
For clarity, the 26-year-old — who won the 2015 Vuelta a España — last raced on March 11. So far, he has made it three days into the Critérium du Dauphiné — a major pre-Tour race with stars Chris Froome (Sky) and Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo).
Aru pulled the plug on the Giro after he crashed while training in Sierra Nevada, Spain, on April 2. Nothing was broken, but the damage in his left knee was too much to train for three weeks.
“It’s completely healed now. When he was there at the presentation of the Giro [May 4], his knee was already OK and he could train well all month,” Martinelli added.
“The big deal is that … he may lack the difference to stay when they accelerate, he lacks the race rhythm. For that reason, it’s good for him to do these races here. He’ll get that staying power by racing. He needs to race to arrive at the Tour. That path leads through the Dauphiné, maybe two to three days of racing in the Route du Sud, the nationals too, then the Tour.”
Astana and Aru planned their 2016 schedule around the Tour de France. He skipped the Giro to debut in the big race. He held sixth until cracking on the last mountain day, sliding to 13th.
This year, the Tour is happening by chance and the forced break opened a door of opportunity.
Aru will fly under the radar coming in after such a break while Dane Jakob Fuglsang carries most of the load. Initially, Astana had Fuglsang planned for the Tour with Aru due to race the Giro and Vuelta.
“We know Fabio’s a champion and can compete with the best. But we are not going to go there with the stress of last year, his first Tour, the pressure of results,” added Martinelli.
“We are luckily that we have Jakob, who’ll do well. We are going to race somewhat in the backseat, not just be a small player, but without stress. If you go strongly, you are at the front. The team to beat is Sky with Froome. Then there’s [Movistar’s] Valverde and Quintana. It may sound over-simplified, but he just has to stay with them.”
Aru told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Certainly, you don’t prepare for the Tour following the path I’ve taken.
“Here in the Dauphiné it’ll be good for me to have a high-level race right away. Yeah, it’s like a new start and I want to rise to the occasion.”
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