Luke Rowe will return to competitive action at the Abu Dhabi Tour on Wednesday – just six months after shattering his right leg in more than 20 places.
The Cardiff-born rider’s comeback is a major milestone in a recovery process that began after the accident in August last year on brother Matt’s stag-do in the Czech Republic.
Rowe suffered the injury just weeks after being part of Team Sky’s Tour de France winning team in a freak accident after jumping onto a rock while rafting.
The 27-year-old’s recovery has seen him gradually begin riding again and building up strength, before he was able to join the team camps in Mallorca in December and January.
The next step is his return to action in Abu Dhabi, where he will pin on numbers for the first time since he finished on the Champs-Élysées back in July.
Rowe admits that he never envisaged being able to be back racing at this point in the season.
He said: “No, definitely not. Even at Christmas and going into the New Year, I still thought that the middle of the season was realistic. When I got back on the bike properly, though, I realised I probably wasn’t as unfit as I thought.
“I managed to suffer through it a bit at first and I got my head kicked in a few times, but the fitness and strength built up quite quickly.
“On training camp in January I felt good and I went to the team and said that I wanted to do Abu Dhabi. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind, really.”
Rowe was also quick to acknowledge the support of those who have helped with his recovery.
“One hundred per cent I wouldn’t be back this soon without the help of a long list of people. The guys I have been working closest with have put as much into this as I have. I just owe them a massive thank you.”
Looking forward to the week ahead in Abu Dhabi, Rowe added: “It’s a perfect race for me to come back. The sprints will be hectic for sure, but the roads are bigger and it’s pretty flat so it’s slightly less stressful.
“I’ve never been here before so in some ways it’s nice to have that change, to experience new races and a new country.”
In terms of the rest of his season, Rowe does not want to look too far ahead but admits making the team’s Classics lineup is a ‘massive goal’.
“First things first, I need to see how this race goes. Training is going well, but training doesn’t tell the full story. I need to race to know where I am. I want to be at a decent level and be of value to the team.
“I had completely ruled it out, but it might be possible to look towards the back end of the Classics and be there in good shape. That would be an absolute dream. Maybe it’s being too optimistic to be there at 100%. It’s still early in the process and obviously I’m still doing my rehab. It’s a massive goal, though, and time will tell.
“I’ll know a lot more after this week and I’m looking forward to being back.”
Team Sky for Abu Dhabi Tour (Feb 21-25)
Leonardo Basso
Jonathan Castroviejo
Kristoffer Halvorsen
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Sebastian Henao
David Lopez
Luke Rowe