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Farrar ready to ride at Romandie

by Andrew Hood

• April 26, 2009
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By Andrew Hood

Garmin-Slipstream sprinter Tyler Farrar will return to racing next week after recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him during the spring classics.

Farrar suffered an AC separation during a crash at Milan-San Remo and will race the Tour de Romandie (April 28-May 3) before a likely start at the Giro d’Italia next month.

“The shoulder has healed up so I’m getting back in the game,” Farrar told VeloNews. “I’m currently down to ride the Giro, so Romandie is a way to get my legs going again before Italy.”

The six-day race across the French-speaking region of Switzerland will provide Farrar with an ideal platform to regain leg speed ahead of the Giro.

The Giro will also mark the grand tour debut for the 24-year-old from Washington.

At the Giro, Farrar will provide a big engine for the team’s bid to defend its team time trial victory in the opening stage and then be an option for stage victories in the sprints.

Farrar recovered at his European base in Ghent, Belgium, following his crash at Milan-San Remo, when he was forced off the road into a deep concrete rain gutter and then crashed hard on his right shoulder.

No surgery was necessary, but it took about six weeks for the shoulder to fully heal.

The 24-year-old scored the biggest win of his career with a sprint victory in stage 3 at Tirreno-Adriatico, passing sprint ace Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) at full flight in the stage into Santa Croce sull’Arno.