After taking time away from racing, Marta Cavalli slowly returned to the peloton at Trofeo Alfredo Binda in March and Brabantse Pijl in April, with her full focus now turned to the three Ardennes Classics.
FDJ-SUEZ confirmed to Cyclingnews that Cavalli has fully recovered from the lingering injuries and discomfort while riding in the peloton that stemmed from a crash at the Tour de France Femmes last July.
The team has stated that she is now ready to race at her full capacity beginning at Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition on Sunday.
“Marta has shown some great performance at training, and she now wants to race at 100%. Binda was positive, and she is now focused on the Ardennes Classics,” FDJ-SUEZ told Cyclingnews.
FDJ-SUEZ withdrew Cavalli from Strade Bianche in early March and, at that time, gave no set indication as to when she would return to the peloton.
The later team confirmed that time away would help her to continue her long-term recovery from serious injuries sustained in the crash last July.
During her time away from racing, Cavalli continued training accompanied by the team’s performance director.
Cavalli was forced to abandon the Tour de France Femmes last July after being involved in a crash on stage 2 into Provins, where she sustained head and lower body trauma.
Although she returned to racing last October at Giro dell’Emilia, Tre Valli Varesine and Tour de Romandie, she said that she had not yet reached her best form, which saw her win Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition and Flèche Wallonne Femmes last spring.
At the UAE Tour Women, which was her first race of this season, Cavalli struggled in the crosswinds and echelons and later expressed a lingering discomfort when riding in the peloton, with the team speculating that it was due to the aftermath of the crash, and she did not finish Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
After nearly a month away from racing, Cavalli returned to the peloton at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, where she finished a promising 13th place, and then raced at this week’s Brabantse Pijl, where she finished 25th.
Opting to skip Paris-Roubaix Femmes, a race she finished ninth in 2021 and fifth in 2022, Cavalli decided to put all of her focus on the Ardennes Classics week of racing, where she lines up as the defending champion at Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition on April 16 and Flèche Wallonne Femmes on April 19. She is also scheduled to race Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 23.
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