Basque rider Koldo Fernandez suffered facial injuries, a fractured jaw and broken collarbone in a dramatic crash in the Paris-Bourges race on October 7th. He looked like he’d done ten rounds in the ring, but is now healing quickly and already thinking about making his return.
“The first days were very difficult, I didn’t go out on the street,” he told El Correo. “But now I feel better. I will get back on my bike and when that day comes, my desire will be there.”
The Euskaltel Euskadi sprinter had a good 2010, winning stages in the Tour de Burgos and the Tour de Vendée. He was also second overall in the Tour de Picardie and on a stage of the Vuelta a España, and third in the Spanish road race championships.
Things ended on that bad note, though, putting a downer on things. “It was like a train ran over me. I don’t remember anything of the time of the fall. One of my team-mates thought I was dead, my helmet was broken in three,” he said.
Fortunately it didn’t take long for him to begin improving and, since then, he has continued to progress. “Athletes are lucky in that they heal quickly. When I say it is three weeks since I crashed, people don’t believe me,” he revealed. “My face is less swollen and what stands out now are my three missing teeth.”
Fernandez was lucky in a way with the timing of his crash. He was able to get in a full season and has time ahead to complete his recover and to knuckle down to training. He might not be in flying form at the start of the year, but has a decent amount of time to get ready. Providing his nerves aren’t affected by the crash, he should get back to winning again for the orange-clad team.