Surgery to force Fabio Aru to miss Giro d'Italia

Fabio Aru will miss this year’s Giro d’Italia due to undergoing surgery on a constriction of the iliac artery in his left leg that is believed to have been hampering the Sardinian’s performances.

The head of medical staff at UAE Team Emirates, Dr Jeroen Swart, said: “After the start of the season, Aru again encountered difficulties in getting up to that normal level that he and the team had hoped for.

“Recently, Fabio developed more specific symptoms related to his left leg: he felt feelings of weakness in the limb after intense training and in race efforts.

 “In view of these symptoms, further medical tests have shown a constriction of the iliac artery in his left leg. This relatively rare condition is found in professional cyclists given the position adopted on their bikes and can develop progressively over a period of several years.”

Dr Swart added that Aru would be undergoing surgery at a hospital near Florence in Tuscany.

“In the coming days, with a date to be determined based on the availability of the hospital, Aru will undergo angioplasty surgery at the Nuovo Ospedale di Prato, after which he will have to observe an absolute rest period of one month,” he added.

“For something like this, the return time is estimated at three or four months.”

Aru expressed disappointment at missing the Giro d’Italia, but relief at the diagnosis of the condition believed to have been affecting his performance.

“It is a feeling that I feel when I have to go all-out, while the symptom disappears at a medium pace, so much so that in training I get the basic numbers,” the Sardinian said.

“From a certain point of view, I can only be relieved to have found the problem; on the other hand, I am angry about the bad luck that has fallen on me for the umpteenth time and that will force me to miss the Giro d’Italia again. I will work to try to put an end to this dark period as soon as possible.”

He added: “I thank the team for the closeness shown this year and a half and for working with me to find the solution to the problems that have plagued me. We really hope this is the final chapter.”

The 28-year-old has won stages at all three Grand Tours and in 2015 clinched the overall title at the Vuelta a Espana.

He has twice been on the podium of the Giro d’Italia, finishing third in 2014 and second 12 months later, when he also won the best young rider’s classification.

He has ridden the Tour de France twice, finishing 13th overall in 2016 and fifth the following year.