Saul Raisin returns to competition in Utah

Salt Lake Tribune | CYCLING: Utahn beats odds after brain injury

While his Credit Agricole teammates soloed in front of a million people in London Saturday, Saul Raisin was getting beaten by US amateurs -- and loving it. Raisin returned to competition at Utah's Porcupine Hill Climb, a 14.7-mile race with 3800 feet of climbing.

He finished 7:20 behind HealthNet's Jeff Louder, but completed another step on the ladder he hopes will see him race at the US Pro National TT Championships in Greenville, SC, in September, and return to the European peloton next season.

Raisin is recovering from brain injuries suffered in April 2006 at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Recently engaged to David Zabriskie's sister Aleeza, Raisin has moved to Utah, and is documenting his training rides on his website using Motion Based. He's coauthored a book, Tour de Life: From Coma to Competition, with Dave Shields, about the accident and his recovery. He's on his way to France this week for more tests to determine his fitness to race, and hopes to visit the Tour while he's there.

Also:

Porcupine Cycling site | Porcupine Hill Climb licensed rider results (PDF)

Tour de Life site | Tour de Life excerpt