Beloki to return to racing

Yahoo! Sport | Beloki back in the saddle for Tour of Vendee

Joseba Beloki will try again to come back from the injuries he suffered in Stage 9 of the 2003 Tour. Beloki has raced in a couple of races this year, but his results have been disappointing. At his most recent race, Beloki dropped out during the first stage.

Beloki's manager, Jean-Rene Bernaudeau said Beloki's abandonment at the Tour of the Basque Country resulted directly from his eagerness to be back in the saddle:

e was so motivated to compete at home that he forgot how hard the race was.

"He might have made it past the second stage but straight away on the first day he had to deal with 130km and five climbs. It was just too much."

Bernaudeau wouldn't predict Beloki's chances at the Tour, but says he's "done a lot of kilometres in training....a podium is something which is a possibility."

Beloki will skip Liege-Bastogne-Liege next weekend in favor of the Tour of Castille and Leon April 28-May 2.