Last season was difficult for Peter Stetina. The US rider hit a sign post during the first stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. After suffering broken ribs, tibia and patella, he made his comeback at the USA Pro Challenge. He told Velonews about his life after the accident.

"It’s still just so disappointing. I’ve had to spend so much time of my life on something that took one second of total time, and the consequences were huge. My life now is entirely different, and this is going to be an issue for the rest of my life", he explained. But now, he is ready to fight with the best riders even if he is not 100 percent. "The cycling part is really coming along. The power numbers are really good for off-season numbers. They are some of the best off-season I’ve ever had. After my crash, I wasn’t even walking for three months, so you lose all the muscle mass and basic movement. I rode for about two weeks, just to a coffee shop and back. Then I could start to train, and ride for three hours. I raced the Tour of Utah with three weeks’ training, and I still needed a crutch to walk around."

During the winter, he decided to join Trek Segafredo. "They had always been interested. When the crash happened, a lot of teams backed off. Most people thought my career was done. My agent always kept the teams informed, and I kept surpassing expectations. Trek said if you’re going to race Utah, we believe you can come back with enough time. I surprised everyone that I could finish, and they got serious real fast. BMC wasn’t ready to be concrete. I certainly wasn’t in a bargaining position, and riders are like a stock market — my price was pretty low. I was a big unknown at that point. BMC wasn’t ready to commit, but I knew I couldn’t wait until September or October to sign. So this deal was done by the time Colorado was wrapping up."

His first main goal will be the Tour of California. After that, he will be present at the start of the Tour de France in order to help his leader. "I have decent form because I didn’t take an off-season. After the Tour Down Under, I will have a big focus on Tour of California and try to lead the team there. And then I am going to try to build up for the Tour de France and help Bauke [Mollema]. I believe he can get top-5. And as an American, I’d love to go to [the] Rio [Olympics]. It’s a climber’s course, I am 29, and Tokyo [2020] is going to be flat. This is my shot. That’s the basis of the season."