Things have not gone quite according to plan for Miguel Ángel López this season. Initially slated to co-lead Astana at the Tour de France, which would have been his debut in the French Grand Tour, López has seen his 2017 racing calendar derailed by injuries at every turn.
Only a few months removed from abandoning the 2016 Vuelta a Espana after two crashes, López suffered a fractured tibia in a training crash late last year. That forced the Colombian climber to recalibrate his expectation for this season, pushing back his racing debut all the way to June. López finally rolled off his first start line of the season at the GP du canton d'Argovie and then began to show signs of good form at the Tour de Suisse – before crashing out of the race with a fractured thumb and facial injuries requiring stitches.
He missed the Tour, but the 23-year-old was back on the bike less than three weeks later. However sore his thumb or face might have felt, his legs were clearly working fine, as he notched a stage win and third overall at the Tour of Austria and went on to claim a stage victory and fourth overall at the Vuelta a Burgos. Now, he's looking to finish his first Grand Tour, making his second appearance at the Vuelta a España. Despite his mishaps over the last 12 months, he insists there won't be any nerves for him out on the road.
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"The past is behind me. [Crashes] happen in races, you can see it in every race, the majority of riders crash. We're running that risk," he told Cyclingnews Friday on the eve of the race.
"That's behind now though. We're at a new Vuelta and we're going to see how it goes."
López's recovery from a broken tibia required more time and work than initially expected, and he was quick to credit his Astana team for their support during the long process.
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