I’M typing this with my left hand/wrist in a splint. Or rather I’m typing with one good hand, while the other looks smugly on from its throne of incapacity. It was elected to such a position by a fractured radius (a lovely mosaic pattern in the X-ray), scaphoid and capitate. I’ve basically got three cracks that run through the bottom of my wrist and into my hand, from a crash in a race last weekend that sent me flying over my bike and landing with my hand out. It’s quite difficult to tell the rest of the story without sounding like a self-satisfied boob. But I’ll try.
The race was a madison at the first round of the track cycling World Cup series, which was in Glasgow. A madison race is where teams of two riders sub each other in and out of the race using a hand sling which catapults one rider into the racing field while the other slows down and rides round the top of the track, resting before they will be swung back in.
The women’s race is 80 laps and there are sprints every 10 laps to win points. Points are also available for gaining a lap on the field and it is the team with the most points who win.
I was riding with my GB team-mate Manon Lloyd and 20 laps into the race there was a big crash in which both Manon and myself came down along with three others. Manon hit her head (later confirmed as concussed) and I guess I spoiled the story by already telling you I’ve broken my wrist. I don’t know how hurt the other riders in the crash were, but two got back on their bikes and one retired from the race. Manon and I both got back on.
As you can imagine, a race with a large emphasis on slinging your partner into it isn’t a lot of breezy fun with a broken wrist. And as you maybe can’t imagine, navigating round the track with riders moving all over the place, swinging partners into the race, isn’t a lot of breezy fun with concussion.
But (here’s the braggy bit) well, we won. In front of a home crowd with our skinsuits ripped to pieces. It was pretty cool.
What wasn’t so cool was having the adrenaline wear off and being left with a throbbing wrist that looked like it was giving birth to extra wrists; ugly little baby wrists were popping out. It was scary. But do you know what’s even scarier than your wrist exploding and many mutant wrist creatures pouring out of it? Going to A&E on bonfire night. I went to bed.
Well, actually, first I had to pee in a cup for doping control, have some dinner, and sponge bath myself because I couldn’t shower with the dressings on my legs (cut up from the crash). Then I went to bed.
It was my head touching the pillow that night that started the clock on 48 hours of incredible moaning and whimpering (on my part) about my sore arm. This heady self-pity wasn’t diminished by regularly scrolling through twitter to read about how hard we cyclists are (a lot harder than footballers is what I’ve been encouraged to believe, though I couldn’t possible comment).
Luckily you have caught me on hour 72 so I’m not in pain and I’ve learnt to get over myself. Hurrah! I eventually did get to a hospital and on Tuesday I’ll be having an operation to realign the bones and have some pins and plates put in which threatens to bring about the return of the self-pity monster, but I’ll deal with that when it comes.
What hasn’t gone away with the pain is the annoyance of having to sacrifice the remainder of the busiest racing block I’ve ever had. I’ve raced four of the last five weekends and was meant to be racing every weekend until Christmas. The climax of this block is (was?) the national madison championships on December 17 in London. And I guess it’s only as I’m writing this now that I have to accept I won’t be ready to race by then, four- and-a-half weeks after my operation. I would probably get away with it for an individual event, but not a madison.
My intended partner was Neah Evans, one of the biggest rising stars of the British track cycling scene. A fellow Scot and Podium Ambition team-mate, I’ve seen a lot of her racing and training this season and can attest to the fact she is on to something good. And I hoped that as a madison pairing we were on to something brilliant.
I’ve had some success already this season with two European titles (in the omnium and individual pursuit) and a good haul of wins at Six Day London, so I can’t deny I’ve had good early form. It would have been fantastic to carry that through to December but alas I’ll have to hope Neah can find another partner to let her show her talent at the race. Hopefully I’ll get my chance another day.
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