Cavalli Returns to Racing with Focus on Ardennes Classics

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Cavalli Returns to Racing with Focus on Ardennes Classics

After a hiatus from racing, Marta Cavalli gradually returned to the peloton at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in March and Brabants Pile in April, and is now focusing all her energy on the three Ardennes Classics.

FDJ-Suez confirmed to Cyclingnews that Cavalli has fully recovered from a lingering injury and discomfort while riding in the peloton stemming from a fall in the Tour de France Femme last July.

The team announced that she is ready to race at full capacity starting Sunday with the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition.

"Marta has performed great in training. Binda is positive and is now focused on the Ardennes Classic," FDJ-Suez told Cycling News.

FDJ-SUEZ withdrew Cavalli from Strade Bianche in early March, but at that time did not say when she would return to the peloton.

The team then confirmed that she would need time off to continue her long-term recovery from the serious injuries she sustained in a crash last July.

While away from racing, Cavalli continued training with the team's performance director.

Cavalli was involved in a crash on the second stage to Provins at the Tour de France Femme last July, suffering head and lower body trauma and being forced to abandon the race.

Last October, she returned to racing at the Giro de l'Emilia, Tre Valli Varesine, and Tour de Romandie, but said she has yet to reach the best form that won her the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition and Flèche Wallonne Femme last spring.

In her first race of the season, the UAE Tour Women, she struggled with crosswinds and echelon, and then complained of lingering discomfort when running in the peloton, but the team assumed it was from the aftermath of the crash and she did not finish in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

After nearly a month away from racing, Cavalli returned to the peloton at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, finishing 13th.

Skipping the Paris-Roubaix Femme, where he finished ninth in 2021 and fifth in 2022, Cavalli decided to concentrate on the Ardennes Classic Week. He will also compete in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 23.

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