Joe Fry can’t wait to get back in the saddle after a frustrating and worrying start to 2017.
The Potters Bar cyclist had a tremendous first year as a professional in 2016, winning the gruelling two-day Tour of the Reservoir, before getting a ride in the Tour de Yorkshire and finishing seventh in the under-23 national time-trial.
And after a worrying time over the winter following the demise of his Pedal Heaven team, the 20-year-old got a slot in the newly-formed BIKE Channel Canyon squad.
His preparations for the new season were cut short when a nagging knee injury forced a spell off the road.
And as he prepares for his comeback at the Memorial Philippe van Coningsloo in Belgium on Sunday, he explained to the Welwyn & Hatfield Times the worries that caused. Fry said:
“It’s been a recurring thing. I was seeing a physio for it but we didn’t know what it was. Sports massages seemed to work but in the long term it never got sorted.
“Then when I was on a training camp in Girona [Spain] it got worse; it just felt awful. I saw a physio out there and he said I’d need an operation.
“Fortunately I saw another one back here and they said it wasn’t as serious as the Spanish had said.
“The main thing the hospital in London said was that it’s not causing any damage. So if I can handle the pain, I can just get on with it.
“That was the big relief. It means if I get it in a race, as long as it’s not unbearable, I can just push through it.
“It’s just nice to know what is actually wrong with it. After having an issue for so long, it’s nice to have that diagnosis.”
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