Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates) spoke about his planned return to racing in August.

In an interview with Sky Italia's Casa Sky Sport television program, the 29-year-old discussed his virtual training with Vincenzo Nibali, UAE teammate Diego Ulissi, and Tour de Flanders champion Alberto Viettiol He talked about the sessions and added about the period of confinement that interrupted his comeback from iliac artery problems the past two seasons.

"The last two seasons have been particularly physically difficult, and I have overcome many problems. It took me months to recover and I had good preparation for the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Classics, and the Tour de France."

"I didn't need a break from racing, but this is a bigger problem than sport. I am ready to prove myself once I am back in the race."

Aru was stricken with cytomegalovirus at last year's Vuelta a España, but started 2020 unscathed; in February, he said he felt as strong as ever, but before COVID-19 spread around the world and interrupted his season, the Tour Colombia 2 .1, and had only competed in one race, the Tour Colombia 2.1.

Since then, Aru, like many other professionals, has been limited to training indoors, participating in virtual rides and races in between. He did, however, have friends.

"I've been riding with Ulissi, Nibali, and Bettiol for a month now. It's a big inspiration for me and for them too. Sometimes we simulate uphill races."

"There is competition outside of the actual race. For example, yesterday Nibali won and I was second. He is really fast.

Although it is still only May, or the halfway point between the start of the complete blockade of Italy in early March and the start of racing at Strade Bianche on August 1, Aru is looking forward to getting back into action, assuming there are no further changes to the new calendar.

"[The return] is going to be very strange, we only have three months, but it is important to return with the necessary precautions."

"You have two months to return. Using modern methods (virtual training, ed.), we can start in good condition and everyone will be at the same level. It will be an intense season, but we have a lot of riders on the team who will work on the whole program; we won't be running 50 race days per rider."

"We have a lot of riders who will be working on their own training, but we will have a lot of riders who will be working on their own training.

Aside from the Tour de France, Aru has not yet finalized his personal goals for the "new" season: with two Grand Tours overlapping and the Ardennes Classics running concurrently with the Giro d'Italia, the riders and teams have not yet decided what they want to do in the three months when other events clash have not yet decided on specifics.

Aru says that a Tour-Giro doubleheader would be difficult to compete properly because the Giro starts just 13 days after the Tour ends, but the Tour-Vuelta schedule could work because the races could be separated by 17 days, with the opportunity to head to the Ardennes in between He says it might work.

"I had the Tour de France and the Olympics on my schedule and it all blew up. We have to take stock with the team, splitting up the members for the various competitions.

"It will be difficult to run two Grand Tours. The Tour and the Vuelta have a month in between, so it might be possible, but if I do the Tour, I won't be able to do the Giro."