It has been eight months since French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni competed in a bike race for Team Arkéa-Samsic, and the newly-elevated WorldTour squad expects one of its team leaders to return in good health for his fourth season in six to seven weeks.
Bouhanni was caught in a multi-rider, high-speed crash involving a spectator during stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey last April. He suffered a fracture of the first cervical vertebra. The crash he called “a nightmare” and estimated the group was charging at 55 mph when impact occurred.
The rest of the season was spent off the bike to recover and spend time with his family. He was part of the Tour de France 2023 route presentation in Paris in October and on the trainer by November. The team released a provisional schedule for the 32-year-old and noted he could line up as early as January 25 to take the start at Challenge Ciclista Mallorca in Spain.
“We know that Nacer often wins several races during a season. We have therefore drawn up a program for him at the start of the year which can give him the possibility of achieving this quickly. The objective during these first competitions is to restore his confidence so that he can perform again quickly,” said Sports Manager Théo Ouvrard on the team’s web site today.
“He will go to Tirreno-Adriatico with probably less pressure, because his performances are above all in one-day races, with real chances of winning, without obviously neglecting stage races. Following his year 2022, priority will be given for his resumption of one-day events.”
Bouhanni started his 2022 campaign in Spain with a runner-up finish at Clasica de Almeria, which then led to four additional podiums, including a victory at La Roue Tourangelle Centre Val de Loire, prior to his crash in Turkey.
The Étoile de Bessèges, February 1-5, is an option to open his return to racing. However, if he does line up a week prior at Challenge Ciclista Mallorca, he would start alongside the team’s other leader, Warren Barguil.
“Warren’s program at the start of the season is essentially the same as last year. He is nevertheless a little lighter due to medium-term goals for him. He will therefore run a little less at the start of the year 2023,” Ouvrard said about the all-rounder’s season beginning at the Mallorca event, January 25-28.
“We have also made the choice that he competes again in Milan-San-Remo because of the appearance that this race has taken on for a few seasons. It may…
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