January 8, 2008 (Quebec City, QC) – Alex Harvey, one of Canada’s top cross-country skiers and a notable mountain biker, is scheduled to be operated on this Friday, January 11. The 19-year-old son of former Olympic skier great, Pierre Harvey, suffers from restricted blood circulation in his left leg, impeding him from competing in long distance events. The surgical intervention should however correct this problem with the insertion of a catheter. Harvey indicated to le Soleil newspaper that his mother is a doctor and was in favour of the procedure.

It seems like there will be a very brief convalescence period as Harvey told SkiTrax that he’s leaving for Europe on January 17 to compete in races in Austria on January 19 and 20. After that, he will be at a training camp in Ramsau, Austria from where he will leave at the end of January heading for Poland. The World Junior U23 Championships will take place from February 4-8, in Sczcyrk, Poland.

In March, 2007, Harvey won bronze in the 10km skate at the World Juniors in Tarvisio, Italy, becoming the second Canadian male in history to reach the podium at this event. In December, 2007, Harvey won gold at the Teck Cominco Sprints races in Canmore, AB. We wish him a successful operation and speedy recovery.