Regina Bruins, who is moving from the Cervélo TestTeam to the new Skil-Koga team, has broken her ankle while training, according to De Telegraaf. The 24-year-old crashed while out training in the woods and her injury is expected to keep her out of racing for six weeks.
"Our team doctor Edwin Achterberg has examined her and has said that it’s a clean break,” Sissy van Alebeek, Skil-Koga team director. “Regina can expect to use her ankle again after three weeks, and race again after six weeks.
“In theory she can still ride the Tour of Qatar, but then nothing can be sure. At the same time it’s encouraging because we expect a good recovery.”
Bruins spent two years at the Cervélo TestTeam; as a powerful rouleur she often served as a valuable lieutenant to team captains like Emma Pooley, whom she towered over, but achieved very few results for herself. Her biggest individual result of the 2010 season was victory in the prologue of the Tour de l’Aude, but she was a valued member of the team time trial squad, whose victories included the Open de Suede Vårgårda.
As one of the strongest riders in the new Skil-Koga team, Bruins is expected to have more opportunities to ride for herself. She was very active in the spring classics last year, finishing fourth in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, ninth in the Ronde van Vlaanderen and thirteenth in La Flèche Wallonne – after being in the break all day. She will obviously hope that this injury does not set her back too far.