Doctors have given Elisa Balsamo the green light to begin training following a lengthy recovery from the injuries that she sustained in a crash at RideLondon in May.
Her team Lidl-Trek have confirmed that Balsamo will still require treatment on the teeth that were broken in the crash but that she is currently looking ahead to possible targets at the Tour de France Femmes and the Glasgow World Championships.
"Over a month after the injuries sustained at RideLondon, most notably compound fractures of the right mandibular condyle and mandibular symphysis, that forced an abrupt pause in her season, Elisa Balsamo can see the light at the end of the tunnel," Lidl-Trek wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
"After being given the green light by both the maxillo-facial surgeon and orthopaedic specialist, Elisa has now resumed training on the road."
"While she still requires dental treatment to fix the teeth broken in the crash, Elisa's focus can now shift from recovery to preparation for a return to racing. Her ambition, one shared by Lidl-Trek, is the Tour de France Femmes however, the final decision on her participation will be decided closer to the event. After the Tour de France Femmes, her next goal will be to attend the World Championships in Glasgow."
Balsamo's injuries were sustained in a crash during the opening stage of RideLondon Classique on May 26.
She underwent successful surgery to treat the compound fractures to her right mandibular condyle and mandibular symphysis at the La Madonnina Hospital in Milan. She was also treated for fractures to her intra-articular of the left mandibular condyle and right scaphoid, which did not require surgery.
Lidl-Trek, then called Trek-Segafredo, did not confirm Balsamo's recovery time or her return to training or competition immediately following the treatment but noted that she would need to undergo physiotherapy as part of her recovery plan for the next two months.
Balsamo had a strong Spring Classics campaign that saw her take second place at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Classic Brugge-De Panne. She went on to compete at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix while also graduating in modern literature in Turin, and then returned to racing at Vuelta a Burgos Feminas and RideLondon, where she crashed on stage 1.
If Balsamo returns to competition at the Tour de France Femmes ends, she would be expected to target stage wins and perhaps the green points jersey.
At the Glasgow World Championships, Balsamo, a former world champion in the road race and reigning world champion in the team pursuit, would likely aim to join the Italian National Team in both the road and track events.
