Boise, Idaho - Will Barta is healing quickly after he suffered a broken femur during a crash in the peloton on stage 9a at the U23 Giro d'Italia back in June. At the time of the crash, Barta was in 8th place in the general classification and coming off a 3rd place finish on stage 7.
"I am doing much better with my fractured femur at this point," said Barta. "I broke the Greater Trochanter and had a titanium plate, 3 screws and 1 pin put in. I had the surgery in Italy and spent a week in the hospital there. The hospital staff was incredibly kind and helpful and I am immensely thankful for the job they did while I was there. It was quite hard to be in a foreign hospital, but I was lucky to have my dad, girlfriend, and her father visit me there.
"It was very welcoming to come home and see the doctors here and have it explained to me in a clearer way what had happened and what to expect going forward. To be back to full weight bearing is 6 weeks from the injury, so I am halfway there with 3 weeks remaining. As far as a femur break can go, I apparently got quite lucky, and will be able to return to 100%. I am almost 2 weeks into physical therapy here and I have been pleasantly surprised by the rate of progress. I have even begun to ride a recumbent exercise bike and that has felt incredibly good to be back to that familiar sensation. I am very anxious to get back onto my bike, but am being patient to be sure that I recover correctly.
"I am hoping to be back on the bike soon. The goal is to be fit enough to race in September and contribute to the team's goals in those races. The team and Axel have been incredibly helpful and supportive through this experience and I am very grateful for that. It has also been very uplifting to have so many nice messages and support from friends and even strangers through this process, and that has been quite the help in my recovery."
