By JP Partland

HTC-Highroad Man Expected to be Back for Canadian Races

For the past seven years, Craig Lewis has been living his dream as a professional cyclist, but this July he is also recovering from another nightmare. The HTC-Highroad rider is stuck at home watching his teammates race the Tour de France as he recuperates from a broken left leg suffered at this year's Giro d'Italia. He's only just getting back on the bike almost two months later.

"I've started riding outside this past weekend and I have been cleared to start putting more pressure on the leg," Lewis told Cyclingnews.

Out was his date with the Dauphiné, as was using July to build to another peak in August for the Tours of Utah and Colorado (the USA Pro Cycling Challenge). Instead, he's slowly building back up to his normal level.

"For now, it is hard to say how soon I will be back racing. In just a few short rides I have improved greatly, so if this trend continues I hope to be back for the Canadian races," he said of September's GP Montreal and Quebec. "I think a start in Colorado would be possible, but I'd rather make sure that I am ready before I jump back into things. I am just focused on a steady build up over the next couple of months and then I hope to be fit and ready to race out the remaining of the season."

In an era of wall-to-wall Grand Tour coverage, Lewis' crash was obscured by epic racing, bad weather, and trees. He was flying downhill on the Giro's Stage 19, riding with teammate Marco Pinotti in support of team leader Kanstantsin Sivtsov, in one of Sivtsov's last opportunities to make up time on Contador, fifth on the general classification that day...

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