Notizie & Recensioni

David Canada, a professional cyclist for the team Fuji-Servetto, talked to the media in his home town Zaragoza this morning. Canada explained the details on the disease he’s suffering from (skin cancer), publically revealed yesterday.

“Everything started at the beginning of 2007, when I got a melanoma that appeared in my back removed. In principle, it shouldn’t have brought me any more problems, but, when I was riding the last stages of the Tour of Poland, I felt a lump growing in my left underarm. After some tests and a biopsy, the doctors found that the melanoma had extended to my underarm limph nodes, and that the lymphoma was a malignant one.” said Canada, who showed enormous fortitude towards the situation he has to face, also explained the treatment he had to endure: “The hardest part of the oncological treatment is now finished. It’s been six weeks in which I had to go to the Miguel Servet Hospital –whose medical staff has been publically considered and appreciated by Canada- in a daily basis to face my treatment, made out of Interferon doses. It’s been really hard, since the doctors told me none could put up with it without any interruptions to end the treatment, but my body assimilated it pretty well. I’ve started with the second treatment cycle this week, with smaller doses being given to me, and it should take some months to finish.”

Canada, who also thanked the team for full support, talked about his possible return to competition, “I expect to compete again. I’m very confident about my recovery, but everything will depend on how my body responds to the treatment. I’d like to ride some races even at the end of the season, but everything’s really premature right now. I’d not like to leave cycling this way, after 14 years of pro riding. The calmness the team has transmitted me is very important, because it makes me have no hurry on coming back.”

The Spanish rider took advantage of the rest time between the two treatment cycles to take mild physical exercise, “I’ve been on my bike quite a bit, and also did some nordic ski. As long as my body responds, I’ll keep doing exercise, because I feel much better doing it. I’ve spent more than twenty years going out to train outdoors, and shutting myself up at home wouldn’t help me.”

Questioned about the parallelisms between his desease and Lance Armstrong’s, Canada showed himself willing to help the cancer fighting foundation directed by the American, “It’s true that I thought Lance would get interested on my case after it was made public. I mean, his foundation? I’d be of course eager to help them. I coincided with some people who were really worse than me in the hospital, and then you realize why he created such a foundation.”

Matxin: “Whenever and just like he wants to”
On the other hand, Joxean Fernandez Matxin, Fuji-Servetto’s sport manager, gave Canada full support from his side, “The only thing that concerns us at this moment is that David gets well calmly, with no rush on it. That’s why we signed a new rider –Swedish biker Kessiakoff- when we knew from his diesease, even though the team roster was closed. We don’t want him to be paying attention to riding in this or that race during his recovery. If he decides someday he’s well prepared to start competing again, then it’s OK for me; if he can’t make it, we want him still, to stay into the team staff, in the place he chooses to be. We’re starting with a new team, but many of us have shared lots of experiences with him in the same team structure for many years. I’ve been his team manager since 2001 in Mapei, and thus our relationship is far from being a typical manager/cyclist one. I’ve always said he’s one of the most exemplary riders I’ve ever known, and he deserves the best things he can achieve. He’ll return to the team wherever, whenever and just like he wants to: as simple as that.”