Ben King, a rider for the Slipstream Sports organization since 2014, makes his return to the peloton from injury this week at Volta a Catalunya. In January, King broke his fibula in a crash while training at home in Virginia and needed surgery shortly after to repair the break.

The absence was tough for King, who watched his teammates from afar in the early part of this season.  

“At times I felt estranged, like I was missing something,” said King. “A lot of relationships are strengthened at the beginning of the season as you learn to work together. I did stay in contact with most of the guys during the recovery. It was nice to feel included, and I definitely followed the races like a fanatical fan. I missed the all or nothing, do or die, team efforts. I missed my friends on the team. It was nice to have extra time at home but I also felt a strong obligation to the team. After months of training in the winter I was ready to test myself. I'm still rebuilding form, but I'm strong enough to be useful to the team now.”
 
One minor footnote in his training? He spent seven hours on the trainer. In one day.
 
“I was going after my training partner Andy Guptill's local record of seven hours,” explained King. “Training is often about quality over quantity, but in the beginning of my recovery my ankle was too weak to handle high resistance. Obviously I was eager to do everything I could to return as quickly as possible, so instead of going harder all I could do was go longer. Seven hours is a bit excessive. I know that. But I just did it one day. Mental strength training.”
 
His work ethic didn’t go unnoticed.
 
"Ben has been incredibly hard working and diligent in his rehabilitation and training,” Slipstream Sports CEO Jonathan Vaughters said. “While his crash was disheartening, to see how dedicated and focused he's been in his return shows a person with true love for his sport."
 
Catalunya started Monday and runs through Sunday. It’s a tough way to come into the season as Catalunya makes its way in earnest into the Pyrénées.
 
“This week will be a good indicator of how my recovery has progressed, and what I need to work on,” said King. “I know it will be hard, but I've never done an easy race.”
 
From here, his calendar isn’t set in stone. And King is waiting before talking about objectives for the rest of the season.
 
“I'm still aiming high this season, but I'd like to get one under my belt before I talk openly about target races,” King said.
 
King raced the Tour de France in 2014 and won a stage at Criterium International last season.