After suffering a hip fracture at the end of the second stage of the Santos Tour Down Under, Frédéric Guesdon (FDJ-BigMat) thought his final season had ended already, well before his scheduled swan song in April’s Paris-Roubaix.
But upon returning home the veteran Frenchman received some good news, learning that while he would be facing another month off the bike, he would be able to resume training with approximately six weeks to prepare for the Hell of the North.
“Of course this is not ideal, but I am obliged to stay positive,” the former race winner told Ouest France in regards to his current situation. “I will take the pain with patience and I will work extra hard when I can resume riding. I want so much to finish in Roubaix. It is the race that I have taken so much pleasure from for fifteen years.
“Three years ago I had a fractured clavicle [suffered at the Tour of the Algarve in late February]. This did not prevent me from competing in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. You have to believe.”
Guesdon came down during the hectic sprint finish of stage two in Australia, in the same crash that put out Jürgen Roelants (Lotto-Belisol) due to a broken vertebrae in his neck. Guesdon spent a good deal of time in an Australian hospital before finally returning to France on January 24th.
He had said that he was pleased with the care given to him in Australia, but was glad to be on home soil. “I am very tired because of jet lag,” he added. “But morale is good. Already I am glad to be in the company of my family and friends.”
The 40-year-old is insistent on finishing his career in the Roubaix velodrome, appropriate as he has finished so many editions of the race there. He took the win in 1997 and has seen no drop off in performance in recent years, finishing in the top twenty in each of the last four years.
While he is still unsure, Guesdon believes he may have avoided an unfortunate twist of fate.
At the hospital, at first I thought it was over,” he admitted. “We don’t always get to choose where we end our careers. I was well cared for, and despite the language barrier, the nursing staff made the effort to speak French with me. They allowed me to easily access the Internet.
“After that, it was better. Riders and staff from the team came to see me every day. And I was surprised to receive so many messages. I was obviously eager to return.”
Fortunately for Guesdon and cycling purists, it would appear as if the veteran Frenchman will be given the chance to finish his career at his most beloved race.
“I’m going to get a month off and then I will resume training at once. It will then be five or six weeks before the deadline I have set for myself to end my career,” he said.