Doping test as he recovers from severe injuries at hospital - Javier Romo's complicated Itzulia Basque Country story

We know all too well that UCI doping controls can happen at any time. No matter what the cyclist is doing at the time (whether he is on vacation in the Bahamas or at home for his cousin's birthday), he is obliged to pass the control. And that's what has happened to Astana rider Javier Romo, who has been visited by surprise by 'the vampires'.

As Carlos de Andrés explained on Teledeporte, the Spanish rider was in a hospital in Guipuzkoa recovering from a fracture and during his stay he received the anti-doping control. "A fracture in the maxilla and a perforation with loss of cerebrospinal fluid caused by the nasal tamponade in the second photo will have me away from the bike for a while," Romo explained his complicated injuries.

The 24-year-old from Toledo is one of the few good news for Astana at the start of the campaign, showing himself to be very active in the first races of the year, such as the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice. He had to abandon the Itzulia in the third stage due to a tough crash which has sidelined him throughout the rest of the spring most likely.