Viviani set to return to training

After a frightening crash at Paris-Roubaix, Elia Viviani has recovered well and is looking forward to resuming training next week.

After a frightening crash at Paris-Roubaix, Elia Viviani has recovered well and is looking forward to resuming training next week.

The Italian was making his debut at the Hell of the North, and after a strong early showing his race ended prematurely following a collision with a motorbike.

With nothing broken the sprinter admits he has had a lucky escape, but is now looking forward to getting back on the bike ahead of his next bike target: the Giro d'Italia.

Hi Elia. How are you feeling after that crash?

Every day I'm feeling better. After the crash I was really worried about my condition. It was a really bad crash. I saw the pile-up in front of me in Arenberg and I was thinking, 'okay I'm safe from this crash'. And then just like that the motorbike came from behind. I wasn't ready to anticipate what was happening, and for sure when you see the video I am really really lucky. Nothing is broken. I had some pain in my chest, but every day now it's better.

So when will you be able to get back on the bike?

Soon. I will do an easy ride over the weekend just to see how I'm feeling. I've been having a lot of massage therapy to help speed up the recovery, but I will be back on the bike on Monday to resume training properly providing everything is okay.

You were due to take a short break post-Roubaix anyway weren't you?

It's true and I'm lucky in another sense, as during this period I had a rest week scheduled after the Classics, looking ahead to the Giro d'Italia. That is my next big focus and I've been able to rest this week, recovering from the crash, but also recovering energy from the first part of the season.

What have you made of the opening to 2016?

I think it's been a good start to the season for me. The win in Dubai was the same as I achieved last year, and the win in De Panne was really important for me. It gave me a big confidence boost for the Giro. When you win in front of the biggest sprinters in the world it's always a good feeling. I beat (Marcel) Kittel in that sprint which is a good sign for me. At the Giro it looks like there will be a lot of sprinters this year. In terms of form, for me it's a bit of an unknown because I've done the Classics, but then my next race won't be until the Giro itself. That's something we decided this year as a team. So the next race is the Giro and we've worked hard to be ready for the sprint stages, and I'll also work on the endurance that you need for a three-week race.

What are your aims then for the Giro this time around?

Last year I won one stage at the Giro. This year I'd like to do that again, but of course it would be nice if I could improve and win more than one. The red jersey is also a good focus. Last year I wore the jersey for 11 days and then I lost it with four days to go. This time I want to try and arrive into Torino with the red jersey. It's a key part of my season and it's the most important part of my focus on the road.

Obviously Roubaix ended up badly, but did you enjoy it up to that point?

I want to say to all the fans thank you for all the messages, and also that I really really liked my first taste of Paris-Roubaix. For sure I will be back in the next few years. Hopefully I can try to do even more in the future. This time I tried to get into the breakaway and I did a lot of work for the guys before Arenberg. We took a really nice team podium with Ian Stannard. I'm really happy for him as I think he's one of the best riders we have for the Classics. He worked really hard for this result and I'm happy he could get on the podium.